Overview:
The FBI has begun interviewing Colombian suspects detained in Haiti for his or her alleged position within the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse — reportedly with out notifying the Court docket of Attraction prosecutor. The transfer comes as Haiti reopens the stalled case amid a damaged judicial system and rising calls for for justice. The Haitian courtroom not too long ago reopened the case, however after greater than 4 years, no trial has taken place, and Moïse’s household and allies proceed to accuse highly effective figures of orchestrating the brutal killing.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun interviewing Colombian nationals detained in Haiti for his or her alleged position within the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse — reportedly with out notifying the prosecutor’s workplace on the Court docket of Attraction, which is overseeing the reopened case.
The transfer has raised questions inside Haiti’s authorized neighborhood about below what authority the FBI is performing and whether or not the US company is now conducting a parallel inquiry right into a case that has stalled for years in Haiti’s personal dysfunctional justice system.
On Nov. 19, 5 of the 17 jailed Colombians have been delivered to the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), the place U.S. investigators questioned them remotely. Their lawyer, Natalie Dérisca, mentioned just one — Edwin Enrique Blanquicet Rodriguez — was really interviewed, with extra classes anticipated.
However a senior supply contained in the prosecutor’s workplace on the Court docket of Attraction advised The Haitian Occasions the workplace had no prior data of the FBI’s actions — and mentioned such interrogations legally require authorization from the investigating decide now assigned to the case.
“The FBI can not query detainees below Haitian judicial authority with out an specific request authorized by the decide,” mentioned the judicial supply, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to debate the case publicly.
Lawyer Iswick Théophin, a member of the Port-au-Prince Bar Affiliation, mentioned the FBI’s involvement raises critical authorized considerations, notably given Haiti’s judicial protocols. With over a decade of expertise in high-profile felony instances, Théophin is at present energetic in advocacy efforts for the prosecution of the case of Monferrier Dorval, the constitutional skilled and former bar affiliation president who was assassinated in 2020.
“From a authorized standpoint, FBI brokers couldn’t intrude in a case that’s at present being dealt with by the courtroom.”
Lawyer Iswick Théophin
“From a authorized standpoint, FBI brokers can not intrude in a case being dealt with by the courtroom,” he advised The Haitian Occasions.
“Except they declare a U.S. nexus to the crime, I don’t know if there is no such thing as a clear authority permitting them to query suspects in Haiti.”
The Haitian Occasions sought remark from the investigating decide however didn’t obtain a response.
Case reopened after decide’s order annulled amid a sluggish course of and a collapsed system
The interviews come simply weeks after the Court docket of Attraction annulled the extensively criticized order issued by Decide Walther Wesser Voltaire, who had charged roughly 50 people — together with high-level political figures similar to:
- Former First Woman and widow Martine Moïse
- Former Prime Minister Claude Joseph
- Former presidential adviser Renald Lubérice
The Court docket ordered a brand new section of investigation, licensed cooperation with U.S. and Canadian investigators and expanded the inquiry to incorporate monetary transactions and cross-border communications.
Protection lawyer Dérisca mentioned a number of the questioning was requested by defendants held in the US.
Greater than 52 months after Moïse was gunned down at his residence in Pélerin 5, Haiti has nonetheless not held a single trial.
The case has handed by means of six judges, a number of of whom withdrew citing threats or lack of sources — reflecting Haiti’s paralyzed judiciary as gangs tighten their grip on the capital.
Greater than 40 suspects stay jailed in Haiti, together with 17 former Colombian troopers, Haitian-People, and members of Moïse’s personal safety equipment. A number of suspects within the U.S. have already pleaded responsible in Miami federal courtroom, main some Haitians to query whether or not Washington’s parallel prosecutions are overshadowing Haiti’s stalled judicial course of.
Twin investigations in Haiti and the U.S. have led to few solutions, as key suspects stay at massive and the case drags on with out a trial
‘The ache stays’: Martine Moïse renews accusations
On Nov. 7, marking 52 months because the killing, Moïse’s widow once more accused “felony oligarchs and politicians” of orchestrating the assassination.
“They needed me there so they might assassinate me,” she wrote on X. “52 months later, all of the ache and struggling of July 7, 2021, are nonetheless there.”
Her public statements proceed to sharpen political tensions and forged doubt over whether or not Haiti’s justice system — weakened by years of instability, gang assaults, and mass jail breaks — can ever ship accountability.
The place the case stands now, key suspects stay lacking or unaccounted for
With the Court docket of Appeals restarting the investigation, the authorized course of in Haiti is formally energetic once more — however observers say that with out functioning courts, safe detention amenities, or uninterrupted judicial procedures, progress stays unsure.
In the meantime, the FBI’s involvement, carried out with out notification to Haitian authorities, indicators rising worldwide impatience and an more and more opaque position for overseas investigators, whilst Haitians proceed to demand justice for his or her slain president.
Haiti’s judicial course of stays stalled, fragmented and weakened by institutional collapse. The Court docket of Attraction’s latest choice to reopen the case marks the sixth time a brand new decide has been assigned since 2021, however main obstacles persist.
A number of people indicted within the assassination plot stay at massive, highlighting the Haitian state’s lack of ability to implement its personal warrants.
- Dimitri Hérard, former head of the Common Safety Unit of the Nationwide Palace (USGPN), escaped through the February 2024 mass jail break on the Nationwide Penitentiary and has not been recaptured. Hérard is accused of taking part in a central position by facilitating the mercenaries’ entry into Haiti.
- Former Supreme Court docket decide Wendelle Coq Thélot, additionally named in Decide Voltaire’s order for her alleged involvement, died earlier than investigators have been capable of query her, eliminating a key avenue of inquiry.
Their absence underscores a justice system so weakened by gang management, jail breaks, and institutional penetration that even high-profile suspects merely disappear.
U.S. prosecutions outpace Haiti’s stalled course of
Whereas Haiti has but to carry a single trial, the U.S. Division of Justice has already secured six convictions associated to the assassination, all by means of responsible pleas or swift federal trials:
- Rodolphe Jaar — Haitian-Chilean businessman, life sentence.
- John Joël Joseph — former Haitian senator, life sentence.
- Germán Rivera — retired Colombian captain, life sentence.
- Joseph Vincent — Haitian American and former DEA informant, life sentence.
- Mario Palacios — Colombian ex-soldier, life sentence.
- Frederick Bergmann — U.S. citizen, 9 years.
Their prices embrace conspiracy to commit homicide, offering weapons and logistics, and taking part straight within the operation.
The pace and decisiveness of U.S. prosecutions distinction sharply with Haiti’s paralyzed judiciary, eroding public confidence that Haitian courts will ever convey home actors — together with political figures — to justice.
5 extra defendants await trial in Miami.
5 further defendants stay in U.S. federal custody, together with:
- Antonio Intriago, head of Miami-based CTU Safety agency.
- Walter Veintemilla, financier linked to the operation.
- Arcangel Pretel, CTU Safety affiliate.
- Manuel Grosso, Colombian ex-soldier.
- Francisco González, CTU Safety affiliate.
Their trial was postponed from September 2025 to March 2026 after the protection requested extra time to overview intensive proof, together with monetary data, encrypted messages, and communications with Haitian elites.
As the US strikes ahead by itself observe — specializing in conspirators with U.S. ties — Haiti’s investigation stays mired in delays, lacking suspects, political interference, and judicial insecurity. The distinction has fueled public frustration, notably amongst Moïse’s household and supporters, who insist that the masterminds “in Haiti’s political and financial elite” have but to face scrutiny.
In the meantime, the FBI’s latest questioning of Colombian detainees in Haiti — carried out with out notification to the prosecutor — has raised new questions on whether or not the U.S. is working a parallel investigation, and whether or not Haitian authorities retain any actual management over the case.