Overview:
The brutal homicide of Albert Joseph, a well known lawyer in Ouanaminthe and member of the Fort-Liberté Bar Affiliation, has deeply shocked the northeast, sparking widespread sorrow and anger. Residents have taken to the streets to demand justice. Authorities questioned at the least seven folks on Sept. 25, together with Moïse Joseph, a outstanding pastor and native rice mill proprietor, and Michelle Adrien, the spouse of the regional Bar president — each detained as key suspects. The case unfolds in opposition to the backdrop of tensions and ongoing disputes over claims from a deadly accident on Aug. 21, when a pickup truck belonging to the pastor’s enterprise hit a bike, killing three younger males.
OUNAMINTHE, Haiti — The homicide of lawyer Albert Joseph has shaken Haiti’s northeast, the place grief and anger proceed to mount as investigators probe a case that started with a lethal street accident and spiraled right into a bitter feud.
Joseph, 56, a revered member of the Fort-Liberté Bar Affiliation and profession skilled, was shot a number of occasions within the head and neck on Sept. 24 by two males on a bike. Critically wounded, the sufferer was rapidly transported to the hospital however died quickly after.
Apart from his authorized profession, Albert Joseph was additionally an agricultural entrepreneur and college trainer in Ouanaminthe. He’s survived by his spouse and 7 youngsters. The homicide occurred on Rue Espagnole in entrance of the native department of Haitian Union Financial institution (BUH, its French acronym) whereas Albert was sitting in his automotive.
This occurred only a month after a visitors accident on Nationwide Street 6 that killed three younger males and led to a heated public dispute over claims for the victims’ households involving Moïse Joseph, a outstanding rice mill proprietor and church chief in Ouanaminthe.
The pastor, who isn’t associated to the slain lawyer however shares the identical final title by coincidence, was arrested by police on Sept. 25 together with Michelle Adrien, the spouse of the Fort-Liberté Bar Affiliation’s president, for allegedly plotting the assassination.
Nationwide Street 6 continues to say lives — with three extra victims this month, bringing the dying toll to 4 amid growing requires pressing security measures
On Aug. 21, Moïse’s pickup truck hit a bike carrying Guempson Saintilnord, 17; Jimmy Otalus, 20; and Mexène Fleurilus, 26, killing all three.
Legal professionals representing the grieving households demanded 60 million gourdes (about $462,000) in compensation, and Albert Joseph, although not formally concerned within the case, supported their stance—which angered Pastor Moïse Joseph. He denied accountability and claimed the legal professionals unfairly linked the accident to his enterprise, the KPK rice mill.
A widely known determine within the northeast, Moïse is particularly acknowledged for his position within the building of the Ouanaminthe irrigation canal venture—Kanal la Pap Kanpe (KPK) or “the canal gained’t cease”— alongside the Bloodbath River in 2023, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic and has sparked controversy between the 2 international locations.
“Lawyer Albert and his colleagues have ordered KPK [Moïse’s rice mill] to pay 60 million gourdes in a case that doesn’t concern the enterprise,” Pastor Moïse instructed The Haitian Instances on Sept. 12. “It is a damaged automobile, and even whether it is my automobile, it has nothing to do with KPK.”
Threats and escalation
The dispute turned private. Pastor Moïse, on Sept. 12, backed by a dozen supporters, launched a video on social media denouncing the lawyer, publishing his telephone quantity, and urging the general public to strain him and different legal professionals. He warned that paying such damages would bankrupt his enterprise.
Moise claimed that, in keeping with the regional Bar Affiliation—whose chief is his pal and private lawyer Gaston Etienne—Albert was not a lawyer however a paralegal making an attempt to become profitable by any means.
In flip, Albert responded by condemning Moïse, distancing himself from the case, and demanding an apology inside 48 hours— which Moïse didn’t present. “I’m not the victims’ lawyer,” he mentioned. “However the legal professionals concerned are my colleagues; they referred to as me to ask for recommendation, which led me to name Moïse and easily inform him to contact the victims’ households and resolve the issue amicably.”
In the meantime, the tensions saved rising as Albert wrote to Etienne on Sept. 17, demanding that the Bar Affiliation’s president publicly make clear the lawyer’s standing as a bar member for the previous 22 years to revive his picture “tarnished by Moïse.” That letter additionally acquired no follow-up. After which in one other letter addressed to the group’s board on Sept. 23, Albert implored the members to intervene.
However a day later, the lawyer was shot and killed. A tragedy Albert himself predicted might occur to him throughout his assembly with native reporters lower than two weeks earlier.
The killing triggered quick protests in Ouanaminthe, with residents erecting barricades and burning tires within the streets. Protesters denounced impunity and demanded accountability.
On Sept. 25, investigators questioned seven folks and arrested two: Moïse and Adrien, Étienne’s spouse. Each are being held as main suspects.
Adrien’s arrest drew heated debate after Étienne mentioned his spouse was harmless and detained due to a gathering at their house with Pastor Joseph previous to the homicide. “Neither my spouse nor I’ve something to do with Albert’s dying,” he mentioned.
The pastor’s son, Mackendy Joseph, additionally asserted his father’s innocence and referred to as on the judicial authorities to uphold the rule of legislation, guaranteeing “clear and truthful justice.” He emphasised that this could forestall different pursuits from influencing the case.
Residents stay break up. Some doubt Pastor Joseph would commit such a criminal offense.
Others, together with one of many protesters, Féguens Wagnac, declare the homicide was a part of a plot to undermine his rice enterprise.
“It’s the manufacturing they need to destroy within the plain,” Wagnac mentioned. “They merely used the lawyer as a instrument to get on the pastor.”
Regardless of the controversy, civil society leaders are urgent for justice. Mirbel Charles, Ouanaminthe district deputy delegate, referred to as for a radical investigation. On the similar time, Mackendy Joseph, president of the Bloodbath River Canal Administration Committee, urged prosecutors to carry accountable “all these instantly or not directly concerned.”
On his half, Jacquelin Rubes, former president of the Fort-Liberté Bar, criticized the group’s management for its silence and referred to as for council members’ resignation. “If the Bar Council doesn’t resign, I cannot put on my lawyer’s robe or attend Albert’s funeral,” he mentioned.
In the meantime, Police Commissioner Ronald Eugene and Authorities Commissioner Charles Édouard Durand are main the investigation, which incorporates reviewing surveillance footage from Rue Espagnole.
Even amid shock and concern, Ouanaminthe residents proceed to mobilize, demanding justice and transparency in a case that has laid naked each native tensions and Haiti’s broader disaster of impunity.