A year after the assassination of the Haitian President, still no answers

Haiti on Thursday marked a year since President Jovenel Moise was shot dead at his private residence, with no mastermind or motive in the attack identified, and investigations have stalled.

Moise was murdered in the early hours of July 7, 2021 when a squad entered his bedroom in the Port-au-Prince home and shot him 12 times.

Haitian police arrested around 20 people in a matter of hours, including 18 former Colombian soldiers believed to be hired as mercenaries.

But that initial speed was followed by glamorous court cases in Haiti and the United States.

The challenges have intensified in recent weeks as the prosecutor’s offices in the Haitian capital were raided by one of the gangs rampant in the country.

The United Nations Office in Haiti issued a statement to mark the anniversary, expressing concern at “the lack of tangible progress” in the quest for justice.

“The investigation and prosecution of the case in Haiti appear to be at a standstill,” it said.

“Since this crime, the growing insecurity, coupled with the violence of armed gangs, has terrorized Haitian citizens and monopolized public debate, while the challenges the country faces day by day mount.”

The investigation’s delays were also complicated by Haiti’s deepening political crisis.

The Caribbean island nation’s presidency has been vacant since Moise’s death, and no date has been set for a vote to fill the post.

No fewer than five consecutive judges have dealt with the case, but none of them have brought charges against the 40 people currently detained.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was appointed to his post two days before Moise’s death, is suspected of making a phone call to one of the prime suspects hours after the attack – a line of investigation he describes as a “diversion”.

Henry is scheduled to speak at a ceremony marking Moise’s death on Thursday.

Haiti’s parliament has not functioned properly for two years as Moise has not organized an election since taking office in 2017. And without a head of state to appoint judges, the country’s judicial system has also faltered.

With confidence in their own government all but gone, many Haitians have pinned their hopes on the American justice system instead.

Three suspects have been charged in Miami, Florida, where Haitian police also say the conspiracy originated.

These suspects are Colombian Mario Palacios, who is believed to have been one of the five gunmen in the room when Moise was killed, Colombian-Haitian national Rodolphe Jaar and former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph.

A fourth man was arrested at an Istanbul airport in November, despite Turkish courts only this week denying Haiti’s extradition requests for him.

Despite progress in the case in the United States, in April a judge decided to seal the evidence, citing the previous involvement of two of the suspects as whistleblowers for the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.

A Haitian legal source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented the US move, telling AFP: “An entire chunk of this story will remain unknown.”