The judge who was in charge of the investigation into the assassination of the President of Haiti closed the case

The investigating judge appointed Monday to lead the judicial investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, shot down in July by an armed commando, announced on Friday that drop the case.

“We dissociated ourselves from this case for personal reasons and we order its return to the dean of this tribunal”, Judge Mathieu Chanlatte said in a letter to the Port-au-Prince court of first instance.

The speed with which the magistrate abandoned this case, the epicenter of national attention, does not surprise certain legal professionals, who do not hide the mission danger.

“I said it would be difficult for Judge Chanlatte: he continues to have the same car, he has no other security guards assigned to his service “, reacted Judge Jean Wilner Morin, president of the National Association of Magistrates of Haiti, when the The country is ravaged by violence from armed groups.

“The armed bands are in the proximity of the Port-au-Prince court of first instance, which makes it very difficult for any magistrate to complete this caseMorin added.

Chanlatte is recognized as a experienced judge who has worked in several important processes, in particular the Dermalog affair, which involves the widow of Jovenel Moise, Martine, whom the opposition accuses of having entrusted to a German international company the manufacture of identity cards for Haitians, a process which did not concern it.

In the investigation into the assassination of the president on July 7 at his home, Haitian police say they have already detained 44 people, including 12 Haitian police officers, 18 Colombians and two Americans of Haitian origin.

Questions about the increase in murders in the country: Who are the authors ? What was the motive for this attack during which the first lady was wounded by gunshot, but no security officer of the Head of State was injured?

“It is necessary that all the actors concerned accept that the light is shed: when a magistrate does not have the necessary means to deal with such a case, the case is locked. When the court where the magistrate’s office is located is not secure and documents can be stolen, the file is blocked, ”said Jean Wilner Morin.

At the same time, the presidential and legislative elections and the constitutional referendum in Haiti, scheduled for September 26, were postponed to November 7, according to official information. This is how it is published in the electoral calendar that the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) sent to the new Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, this Wednesday in Port-au-Prince.

These elections concern positions such as the Presidency, deputies and senators. The electoral calendar is set for January 23, 2022 for the second round of presidential, legislative, municipal and local elections.

The assassination of Jovenel Moise, promoter of the holding of the referendum, exacerbated the political and economic crisis in Haiti, forcing the authorities to postpone the elections again amid acts of violence such as kidnappings, gang wars and armed attacks.

Since July 2018, Haiti has faced an unprecedented political, social and economic crisis, dominated by sometimes violent anti-government protests.

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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