Prime Minister of Haiti rejects “baseless” accusations for murder of Moise

Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, defended himself Thursday night against suspicions against him in the investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, denouncing “a riot” motivated by “political interests”.

The head of government criticized in a statement published on social networks “The uproar orchestrated nationally and internationally around the telephone conversations that took place on the night of the murder of the president”.

Moise was shot dead on July 7 by an armed commando at his home in Port-au-Prince, and questions remain about who was behind the attack.

On Tuesday, the Port-au-Prince government commissioner, equivalent to the prosecutor, asked the judge in charge of investigating the case to prosecute Henry on the grounds that he had made phone calls with one of the main suspects a few hours after the attack.

Former member of the anti-corruption unit, dependent on the Ministry of Justice, Badio would have been geolocated in the area where Jovenel’s private residence is located during calls made to Ariel Henry at 04H03 and 04H20 in the morning.

A few hours after this accusation, Henry announced the dismissal of the prosecutor for “serious administrative misconduct.”

Sign of the existing tensions in the executive power, the secretary of the council of ministers was also replaced.

“It is difficult today to specify the names of all those who called me or the nature of the conversation, especially when I could not answer all the calls,” said the primer Minister Thursday night.

Designated primer Minister by Moise less than 48 hours before the latter’s death, Henry added that “conversations with people against whom are accusations formulated, they cannot, in any case, be used to incriminate anyone”.

“Political interests do not allow anyone or any group of individuals to make serious and without foundation, much less trying to deliver someone to popular revenge, regardless of whether they really have any responsibility for something,” said Henry in his message.

Forty-four people, including 18 Colombians and two Americans of Haitian origin, have been arrested in connection with the investigation of the murder of Moise.