These sanctions reveal the faces of some accomplices in acts of violence in Haiti
On October 19, 2023, the United Nations Security Council took note of a 156-page report written by a group of United Nations experts, which pointed to several members of the political and economic elite of the country of DAYITI having relations with the gangs.
The report cites the names of seven (7) people in the country for their ties to gangs and the instability they create in the country. These people are the former president Michel Joseph Martelly, the former senator of the Latibonite, Youri Latortue, the former deputy of the Tirivière Latibonite, Victor Prophane, the former director general of the BMPAD, Patrick Norame, the former prime minister Laurent Lamothe, the former director general of the customs, Romel Bell and Reynold Deeb who is a businessman.
One after another: Victor Prophane, Michel Joseph Martelly, Youri Latortue, Laurent Lamothe, Patrick Norame, Romel Bell and Reynold Deeb.
A source in the United Nations informed AyiboPost that there are still more people whose names are mentioned in the rest of this report.
Since October 21, 2022, the UN Security Council has adopted Resolution 2653 a, which establishes a series of sanctions measures that are valid for one year from the date they are pronounced. The UN Security Council also extended the measures of resolution 2653, on October 19, 2023.
These penalties are: travel ban for those under sanctions and jthe good of these people.
We have to say, So far, the only leader of the “G9 family and allies” gang, Jimmy Chérizier alias Babekyou, is on the UN sanctions list.
Last December 8, the US Department of the Treasury, in a communique, announced sanctions against 4 gang leaders in the country for human rights violations. The leaders of these gangs are: Johnson André alias Izo, Renel Destina alias Ti Lapli, Vitel’homme Innocent and Wilson Joseph alias Lamòr San Jou.
Chef Gang Haiti
The UN Security Council has to publish a list of names of people who should be under sanctions.
Since before the UN report came out, countries such as Canada, the United States and Santo Domingo have taken sanctions against some people in Haiti’s political and economic class.
In the UN report, the experts come up with the file of the Petro Caribbean money.
In 2018 thousands of people took to the streets to ask where the money goes. The series of protests forced LaKoudekont to produce a report showing that various authorities in the State had misused and diverted this money.
The Petrocaribe is a cooperation agreement signed between Haiti and Venezuela in 2006. Haiti bought petroleum products from Venezuela at a special price. And, he would have to pay part of this money over 25 years, with an interest rate of 1 percent.
The goal was to allow the Haitian State to get money to finance a series of development projects.
Ou kali : Can the PetroCaribe trial still be held?
In the UN report, the experts recall that most of the Petro Karibe money was diverted under the presidency of Michel Joseph Martelly. The report recalls, it is, Laurent Lamothe, as prime minister and minister of planning in 2012 and 2014, who authorized the disbursement of 668, 8 million dollars for 149 projects.
According to international law specialist James Boyard, the report of the UN experts finds its legal basis in articles 41 and 42 of chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which gives the Security Council the power to take action when there are threats against peace that disturb the security of the world
The UN sanctions used to target countries that disturb international peace and security. But the sanctions we have here are not aimed at the state but at two (2) particular ones, among them, there are those who were not even part of the government.
In the UN report, the experts recall that most of the Petro Karibe money was diverted under the presidency of Michel Joseph Martelly.
It is not the first time that the United Nations has adopted sanctions against Haiti. On May 7, 1994, the Security Council voted to impose an embargo on Haiti following the coup against President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
This embargo targeted food products, petroleum products and medical products. There was a travel ban for members of the military regime and a ban on Haitian military aircraft flying. These sanctions at the time were aimed at members of the government.
But how can the Haitian judiciary seize the sanctions files?
In UN practice, sanctions resolutions always require the country concerned to implement the sanctions. The resolutions usually ask all the member countries of the United Nations to prosecute those who are sanctioned.
The security council can create an “ad hoc” international criminal court specifically to hear the targeted people, if it considers the act committed to be very serious and if the judiciary of the country concerned would be too weak to hear the presumed guilty.
In UN practice, sanctions resolutions always require the country concerned to implement the sanctions.
The special international court can hear the people under sanctions if the United Nations considers that the actions of these people would violate international law, such as in the purchase of weapons.
The Security Council can choose one of the UN member countries to establish this “ad hoc” criminal court.
Claudie Marsan, who is a member of the Port-au-Prince Bar Council, says that there must be evidence for a court to hear those on the sanction list.
He said that the Haitian judiciary must investigate these people as required by law.
The lawyer said that they cannot arrest a single person as part of a corruption case. Because for there to be corruption, there must be many people involved.
► Research, Interviews and Writing : Fenel Pélissier
► Assembly: Makenson Pinquière and Peterson Patrison Roger
► Illustration: Peterson Patrison Roger
► Supervision: Casimir Philicien
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