VOA Voice of America
Haiti’s First Family Under Corruption Probe Cloud
Jeffrey Young
December 22, 2014 8:54 AM
Haiti’s first family is spending this end of year holiday season under a legal cloud.
The streets of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and other cities have been mobbed with protestors demanding Haitian President Michel Martelly’s resignation.
The Haitian Court of Justice on December 16 decreed that a corruption investigation focused on the president’s son Olivier, and the First Lady Sophia, could proceed. The two are accused of crimes including abuse of authority, money laundering, and squandering public funds. Sophia and Olivier have steadfastly asserted their innocence.
No corruption related charges have been brought against Martelly.
Days before the Court of Justice decision, thousands of Haitians marched in angry protests against Martelly and his government. They did the same in November. In the face of public rage, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe resigned.
While analysts say much of the anger stems from Martelly’s foot-dragging on his longstanding promise of elections, there is also considerable popular discontent with what is called Haiti’s “culture of corruption”.
The head of the Heritage Foundation for Haiti, Marilyn Allien, is closely watching the Martelly investigation and other corruption developments. Her organization is a branch of the global better-governance group Transparency International.
“The president’s wife and the president’s son should not be managing state funds, regardless of whether they are managing them honestly or dishonestly,” Allien told VOA. “It is not their role to do that. It creates the perception that there is corruption and fraud going on.”
Transparency International ranks Haiti eighth from the bottom out of 175 countries surveyed in its 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index. Haiti shares that low rung on the ladder with Yemen, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, and Venezuela.
The accusations against the first lady and the president’s son notwithstanding, Haiti’s Transparency International chief says Martelly appears to be “clean.”
“We have never received a complaint pertaining to acts committed by the president,” she said.
But Martelly’s political opponents are taking aim at Martelly.
Haitian Senator Moise Jean-Charles told the web publication “Haiti Liberte” that “President Martelly had the governor of the central bank give him five bulletproof cars, which cost the Haitian state $2.5 million.”
Jean-Charles said the bank governor also purchased 60 Toyota SUVs “for [Martelly’s] children, for his wife, and for people living with him. These,” Senator Jean-Charles said, “are the type of costs being incurred by President Martelly, the president of the poorest nation on the continent.”
Haiti has an official anti-corruption unit, known by its French initials, ULCC. Last June, new anti-corruption legislation, championed by the ULCC, was signed into law by Martelly. The measures were also supported and promoted by Allien’s Heritage Foundation.
But Allien said the work of the ULCC is hampered by several factors.
“The cases stay there, dormant, for months and months – sometimes, for years,” she said. “The prosecutor’s office doesn’t move very rapidly.”
The good governance advocate says another factor hampering the fight against corruption is parliament’s inertia.
“The [anti-corruption] law that was recently voted on in May 2014 was a law that was drafted in 2008,” Allien said. “It is a law that we sorely needed, because it covers a number of practices that were not covered by previous legislation.”
As for why Haiti’s parliament took so long to enact this and other laws, Allien said “Too many of them [Haiti’s lawmakers] are too busy being involved in politics, and perceive their job as simply [one of] controlling the executive [branch, i.e., the president] and not doing the job for which they were elected, which is voting on laws.”
Allien said despite Haiti’s anti-corruption shortcomings and the slow pace of its institutions, at least the country allows watchdog groups such as Transparency International, and a similar group, the RNDDH – headed by Pierre Esperance – to operate freely.
“We are not harassed,” she told VOA. “We have a very good climate in which to work. “We do not feel [that we are] under attack.”
Editorial from “The Washington Post”
The Post's View
Without international help, Haiti faces a political meltdown
FROM TIME to time, Haiti’s chronic political dysfunction erupts in crisis and violence, compelling the international community to re-engage with an impoverished country it might prefer to disregard. Haiti is at just such a juncture right now. Policymakers in Washington and elsewhere should pay prompt attention, before the predictable calamity arrives.
The brewing crisis arises from a three-year-old political impasse between President Michel Martelly and legislators that has blocked parliamentary and municipal elections. An election date came and went, triggering mounting protests and street violence in recent weeks.
Now the clock is ticking toward what looks like a watershed. On Jan. 12 the terms of most members of parliament will expire. In the absence of a duly elected parliament, Mr. Martelly will be empowered to rule by decree, a dangerous scenario in a country with a history of autocracy and instability.
Some lawmakers in the politically fractured parliament think Mr. Martelly, elected in 2011, has been angling all along to establish a de facto dictatorship. In fact, parliament shares the blame. A group of six senators has blocked legislation to establish an electoral council on the grounds that its composition and rules would favor candidates loyal to the president. With no council in place, elections are off the table.
To his credit, Martelly tried to break the impasse this month by forcing the resignation of his prime minister and close political ally, Laurent Lamothe. Lamothe, a wealthy businessman, was widely seen as Martelly’s hand-picked successor for president; the hope was that his departure would clear the way for a compromise between the president and the opposition, leading to elections.
So far that hasn’t happened. If a vacuum develops, Martelly will be the last man standing; he says he’s prepared to lead by decree if no deal is struck leading to elections. Even the president’s moderate opponents say that would trigger a wave of violence.
Recognizing that the standoff has become dire, Secretary of State John F. Kerry has urged a negotiated settlement that would “open the door for elections to be scheduled as soon as possible.” Yet without more aggressive mediation by U.S., United Nations, French, Canadian and other diplomats, the chances of such a settlement are slim.
As it happens, the senators’ terms will expire and parliament will be dissolved on the fifth anniversary of the earthquake in 2010 that killed more than 100,000 Haitians. As Kerry pointed out, too much progress has been made since then toward rebuilding Haiti to risk extinguishing all hope amid renewed political violence.
To dismiss Haiti as a basket case or shrug off its troubles as insoluble is to forget a history that suggests that without outside help, the country can deteriorate into anarchy, at which point ignoring it is no longer an option.
Security in Haiti: A Concern for the International Community
In a letter sent to Deputy Jacques Stevenson Thimoléon, President of the Lower House, Paula Caldwell St-Onge, the Ambassadress of Canada in Haiti denounced the behavior of several members of Parliament last week, in particular Deputy Arnel Bélizaire, as well as the members of their security team, who circulated through town with illegal assault weapons.
In this letter, a copy of which was sent to Dieuseul Simon Desras, President of the Senate, the diplomat underlined "The respect which the Haitian population demonstrates to the National police force of Haiti (PNH) and the police authorities should be stressed by the actions of the Haitian elected officials. The carrying of assault weapons by Haitian elected officials during democratic demonstrations, sends an image which disturbs the international community ".
She also stated that "such provocative actions could also slow down the interest of investors, which would damage the economic development of Haiti. This lack of respect to the rule of law worries us. "
"We exhort you to do everything in your power to call in to order the members of Parliament who do not respect Haitian laws."
In her letter, Caldwell St-Onge insisted that during democratic demonstrations, there should be no security risks for the demonstrators, the authorities and especially the population.
Karine Condé Emeran Person of the Year 2014
A jury comprised of five people, supported by the Executive Committee to Discover Haiti, decided unanimously to award the "Prize to Discover Haiti, Personality of Year 2014 " to Karine Conde Eméran, Departmental Director of the Southern Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Industries (MTIC).
This award is to promote a positive image of Haiti, particularly in the Southern region and [to recognize] efforts in the professionalization of tourism-related businesses through the Institute of Hotel and Tourist Training (IFORHT), explained Jean Max Beauchamp, Coordinator General of Découvrir Haiti, adding that, "The decision to grant this prize to Karine Condé, aims at inspiring Haitians to work sincerely on the development of the country."
Karine Condé Eméran will be invited to Port-au-Prince the last week of January 2015 to receive her award at the official launch of "Tourism and Hospitality Fridays“ at the premises of the Higher Institute of Studies and Research in Social Sciences (ISERSS), formerly IERAH.
Recognizing that the other competitors had made important contributions during year 2014, Jean Max Beauchamp invited them to the award ceremony as well.
Turks and Caicos Islands: 65 Boat-people intercepted
The authorities of the Turks and Caicos Islands advised that they had arrested 65 Haitian migrants aboard a boat near the British territory of the Caribbean last Thursday. The officials declared in a press release last Friday that the migrants would be deported to Haiti. The arrests took place the same day that Bahamian authorities intercepted 112 migrants from Haiti.
The versatile player of the AS Mirebalais, Cliff Cantave took away the individual title of the golden ball G & G 2013 Athlete of the Haitian Association of Sports Press (ASHAPS).
Cantave, who was crowned champion of the 2013 season with the ASM, succeeded Montrévil Franzdy, guard of the Valencia, by winning, on Monday evening, at the annual official reception of ASHAPS, this honorary trophy.
The mid-fielder, Cliff Cantave, scored 5 goals during the 2013 season, including 4 in the play-offs and 1 in the cup against Baltimore. He played an important role in the acquisition of his team’s championship trophy for the 2013 season.
In spite of the absence of certain athletes and sports managers, the General Secretary of the ASHAPS, Légupeterson Alexandre, distributed the awards, now in their fourth year, that included5 trophies and 20 plaques honoring winners in the numerous categories.