The Wife of Haiti’s Assassinated President Is Accused in His Killing
Walther Wesser Voltaire, the fifth judge overseeing the investigation into the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in Haiti, has indicted several individuals, including the late president’s widow, Martine Moïse, former Prime Minister Claude Joseph, and former Chief of Haiti’s National Police, Léon Charles. The 122-page report lists dozens of suspects.
Charles, who held the position of police chief at the time of Moïse’s assassination and now serves as Haiti’s permanent representative to the Organization of American States, faces multiple serious charges, including murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of weapons, conspiracy against the state’s internal security, and criminal association.
Meanwhile, Joseph and Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack, are accused of complicity and criminal association.
Joseph, in a statement shared with The Associated Press, accused Henry of undermining the investigation and capitalizing on the president’s death.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Joseph accused Henry of manipulating the Haitian justice system to target political adversaries like himself.
He described the situation as a textbook coup d’état, asserting that after their failed attempt to assassinate him and Martine Moïse on July 7th, 2021, they are now exploiting the Haitian legal system to further their Machiavellian objectives.
Once more, Joseph urged Henry to step down, highlighting that during his tenure as prime minister, he had requested assistance from the FBI to aid local authorities in probing the assassination.
Additionally, he had reached out to the United Nations and the Organization of American States for support.
“I am determined to continue my struggle. Justice must prevail,” he affirmed.
In his report, the judge highlighted statements from Lyonel Valbrun, the former secretary general of the National Palace, who revealed that Martine Moïse exerted significant pressure on him.
She insisted that the president’s office be made available to Claude Joseph to “organize a council of ministers.”
Valbrun further disclosed that two days prior to the assassination, Martine Moïse spent nearly five hours at the National Palace, removing various items.
Following her husband’s death, she allegedly called Valbrun and stated, “Jovenel didn’t do anything for us. You have to open the office.
The president told Ti Klod to create a council of ministers; he will hold elections in three months so I can become president, now we will have power.”
The document did not explicitly identify “Ti Klod,” but it is widely understood that the former prime minister, Claude Joseph, is referred to by that name. Furthermore, the judge remarked in the report that Martine Moïse “suggested” she sought refuge beneath the marital bed during the attack.
However, authorities investigating the scene found that not even a creature as large as a giant rat, measuring between 35 and 45 centimeters, could fit under the bed.
The judge criticized the former first lady’s statements, noting that they contained numerous contradictions, casting doubt on their credibility.
Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-American pastor who envisioned himself as Haiti’s future president and claimed he believed Moïse would only be arrested, Joseph Vincent, a Haitian-American and former informant for the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration, Dimitri Hérard, the presidential security chief, John Joël Joseph, a former Haitian senator, and Windelle Coq, a Haitian judge who authorities allege is a fugitive, are among those facing murder charges.
Sanon, Vincent, and Joseph have been extradited to the U.S., where a total of 11 suspects face federal charges related to the assassination of Haiti’s president, with at least three already sentenced. Meanwhile, in Haiti, over 40 suspects are currently incarcerated, awaiting trial, including 20 former Colombian soldiers.
However, it remains uncertain how soon a trial will commence following the indictments issued on Monday.
Milena Carmona, the wife of Jheyner Alberto Carmona Flórez, informed The Associated Press that he maintains his innocence.
Milena Carmona asserted that the detained former soldiers are being denied freedom due to their involvement in a vast conspiracy orchestrated by powerful individuals operating behind the scenes.
U.S. prosecutors have characterized the assassination plot as a collaboration between parties in Haiti and Florida, aiming to hire mercenaries to either abduct or assassinate Moïse, who was 53 years old at the time of his death at his residence near Port-au-Prince.
Witnesses stated that the attack commenced late on July 6 and concluded on July 7.
According to Martine Moïse and other individuals questioned, heavy gunfire erupted around 1 a.m., lasting between 30 to 45 minutes, before armed assailants stormed into the presidential couple’s bedroom.
Moïse recounted lying on the ground as she heard the attackers exclaim, “That’s not it! That’s not it! That’s not it!” She further disclosed that the suspects conducted a video call to pinpoint the precise location of their target while carrying out the assassination.
Additionally, she described how she was lying face down when the perpetrators checked her vital signs by slightly tilting her head and tugging on one of her toes to confirm her demise.
After the assailants departed, Moïse recounted how she managed to drag herself across the ground and whispered to her husband her intention to seek medical help.
“That’s when she discovered that the president had died and that his left eye had been removed from its socket,” stated the report.
Moïse disclosed that approximately 30 to 50 police officers were assigned to guard the presidential residence, yet the judge observed that only a few officers were present on the night of the attack.
One officer recalled hearing explosions and a voice over a megaphone declaring, “Do not shoot! It’s a DEA operation! US Army! We are aware of the number of officers inside.
Come out with both hands lowered.”
Another officer reported that the first lady’s security chief discovered her “in critical condition” alongside her two children.
He also witnessed an unspecified number of individuals exiting the president’s residence “carrying briefcases and several envelopes.”
The report cited Inspector General André Vladimir Paraison, who recounted receiving a call from the president at 1:46 a.m., during which Moïse urgently implored him, “Paraison! Man, hurry up! I’m in trouble! Come quickly and save my life.”
He recounted encountering heavily armed men, which hindered his immediate access to the residence.
Upon arrival, officers discovered bullet-riddled cars, windows, and doors at the president’s private home.
Surveillance cameras were found disabled, and a broken lock was observed on the double-wooden door leading to the presidential bedroom.
Some police officers stationed at the residence were reportedly disarmed and restrained, while others managed to seek refuge by throwing themselves down a ravine.
Furthermore, the report alleges that the officer overseeing presidential security received $80,000 to bribe certain officers into “remaining inactive” during the assassination.
The judge emphasized how the security personnel tasked with safeguarding the head of state faced no imminent danger, yet the assassination occurred with disturbing ease.
#aprokovibesng