Spanish
Almost four years after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, which occurred on July 7, 2021, the judicial investigation remains stalled, with none of the suspects detained in Haiti having faced trial.
The process has been marked by structural obstacles, including gang violence, threats against judicial officials, and a deeply weakened justice system, which has hindered the work of the judges in charge of the case.
During one of the hearings, Judge Claude Jean confronted a Haitian police officer in charge of presidential security. "You failed in your mission. And you are not ashamed to plead innocent", he rebuked him. Jean is one of the six judges who are still evaluating whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the 20 suspects arrested so far to trial.
Furthermore, the trial being held in Miami, one of the most anticipated regarding the assassination of Moïse, was postponed to 2026, following a request from the defense of the accused Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, who argued that "he has only reviewed approximately 25%" of the evidence presented by the Government.
You can also read: Trial in Miami of five involved in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse
Among those involved are 17 former Colombian military personnel and three Haitians: a former mayor, a former police officer, and a former official from the Ministry of Justice. According to the authorities, some of them intended to organize a coup, not an assassination, with the expectation of benefiting economically under a possible new regime. The case has also been surrounded by leaks and deaths. Several key suspects fled after a powerful gang coalition's assault on the country's main prisons last year, including Dimitri Hérard, former head of security at the National Palace. The assassination of Moïse, who received 12 shots at his residence in Port-au-Prince, remains incompletely clarified, reflecting the institutional fragility that continues to plague Haiti.
