Overview:
Dominican authorities handed over ex-Arcahaie mayor Rosemila Sainvil Petit-Frère to face corruption and cash laundering fees in Haiti, a uncommon high-profile switch between the 2 international locations.
OUANAMINTHE, Haiti — Dominican authorities on Wednesday escorted former Arcahaie mayor and outspoken Jovenel Moïse critic Rosemila Sainvil Petit-Frère to Haitian police on the Ouanaminthe–Dajabón border to face fees of economic crimes and gang ties.
Petit-Frère was arrested on Aug. 10 at Gregorio Luperón Worldwide Airport in Puerto Plata after arriving from Canada whereas trying to cross into Haiti. Dominican customs and immigration officers seized a number of checks for big, undisclosed quantities from her, however no money, in line with the native newspaper Listín Diario. Authorities suspected her of making an attempt to move a big sum of cash throughout the border illegally.
Escorted by border police (Polifront) brokers, Petit-Frère was handed over to Haitian regulation enforcement below an arrest warrant. She was taken to Port-au-Prince for questioning by the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).
A businesswoman and political determine, Petit-Frère served as Arcahaie’s mayor from 2016 to 2020, led the Nationwide Federation of Girls Mayors of Haiti (FENAFEMH, its French acronym) and owns Radio Télé Monopole (RTM) in Port-au-Prince. She is an influential member of former President René Préval’s INITE Patriotique social gathering and was an in depth ally of ex–Prime Minister Ariel Henry after Moïse’s assassination.
She is below investigation by Haiti’s Central Monetary Intelligence Unit (UCREF) for cash laundering and corruption tied to her public workplace, together with alleged misuse of funds from the Caisse d’Help Sociale (CAS). A UCREF’s 2024 report claims she amassed important actual property and monetary property throughout her tenure. The case had stalled after she missed DCPJ summonses, citing journey for well being causes.
Pierre Espérance, head of the Nationwide Human Rights Protection Community (RNDDH), has additionally alleged Petit-Frère maintained ties with infamous chief Kempès Sanon of the Belair-Air gang—an affiliate of Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier’s Viv Ansanm coalition.
A uncommon high-profile handover
The ex-Haitian mayor’s case stands out within the context of Haiti–Dominican Republic relations. For years, Haitian officers and human rights teams have accused the Dominican Republic of serving as a secure haven for highly effective Haitian politicians and businesspeople going through legal fees, even because it mass-deports 1000’s of extraordinary Haitians every year, lots of them laborers or market distributors in search of higher livelihoods.
“We didn’t discover something from her; we solely obtained Romilia and handed her over to the competent authorities, who escorted her to Port-au-Prince.”
“We didn’t discover something from her; we solely obtained Romilia and handed her over to the competent authorities, who escorted her to Port-au-Prince.”
On this occasion, Dominican authorities confused cooperation with Haitian counterparts, saying her rights and private integrity had been revered all through the method.
Through the handover, The Haitian Instances noticed Dominican border brokers cordially turning a hand-free Petit-Frère over to Haitian police within the northeast, who then accompanied her to the DCPJ’s officers ready close by.
The case highlights a persistent pressure in Haiti–Dominican Republic relations: the selective therapy of cross-border migration and regulation enforcement.
Whereas Dominican authorities perform mass deportations of Haitians and, in lots of circumstances, extraordinary Dominicans of Haitian descent—generally 1000’s in a single week—they’ve usually been criticized for permitting high-profile Haitian political figures, businessmen and alleged criminals to remain within the nation with little interference.
Over the previous decade, a number of Haitian officers going through fees at house have surfaced within the Dominican Republic, together with former senators, ex-ministers and police chiefs. In lots of circumstances, they prevented extradition altogether, citing residency standing, enterprise investments or political asylum claims. Critics say this undermines anti-corruption efforts and emboldens elites to evade Haitian justice.
Analysts say this case might replicate both shifting political calculations in Santo Domingo, elevated bilateral cooperation on safety or a choice to dump a politically delicate determine onto Haitian authorities.
For Haiti, the handover may function a take a look at case for whether or not its justice system can pursue high-level corruption fees with out political interference — a problem that has derailed many such circumstances up to now.
Public response in Ouanaminthe was combined. Some residents welcomed her arrest as a step towards accountability.
“We arrested her due to the folks’s cash she stole to reside properly within the Dominican Republic,” mentioned border resident Judenel Saint Claire, sitting on the border between Ouanaminthe and Dajabón.
John Ronald Prophète additionally expressed his frustration towards the previous mayor, accusing her of getting “contributed to the collapse of the nation.”
“I’m blissful she has been arrested,” Prophète mentioned.
Others doubted her arrest would change the entrenched sample of impunity for political elites. Haitian judicial authorities haven’t introduced when formal proceedings will start.