Haitian Judge Issues Arrest Warrant for Wife of Slain President

A Haitian judge investigating the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse filed an arrest warrant for his wife late last year for not meeting with him to discuss the case, according to a leaked judicial document acquired by The Associated Press on Monday.

The order, dated Oct. 25, was issued by Judge Walther Voltaire, who is investigating the murder of Moïse at his house.

The one-page arrest warrant only mentions that authorities want to question the slained Haitian President’s wife, Martine Moïse, about the matter. It does not state nor suggest any involvment.

On the night of July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was tortured and murdered at his private residence in Port-au-Prince by a group of mostly Colombian hitmen. His wife, Martine Moise, was wounded in the assault and was taken to a hospital in Miami, United States for treatment.

Five people pleaded guilty

So far, five people have already pleaded guilty in the United States for their involvement in the assassination, which was planned in that country. Former Haitian Senator Joseph Joel John, Haitian-Chilean Rodolphe Jaar and former Colombian military officer Alejandro Rivera García have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a Miami court for their involvement in the assassination.

Two other individuals, former Colombian military officer Mario Antonio Palacios and Haitian-Colombian and former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant Joseph Vincent, pleaded guilty to the murder and are awaiting sentencing in Florida.

According to Miami court documents, the killing was planned in South Florida from February to July 2021. The objective of the conspirators was to “overthrow President Moïse and replace him with someone who would serve the political objectives and financial interests of the conspirators”.

Meanwhile, in Haiti, 17 people allegedly linked to the crime have been arrested, but so far none of them have been charged. With the arrest warrant against Martine Moise, the case becomes even more complicated, revealing a complex network of conspirators whose members are not yet all known.

International aid is essential

For the past three years, the country has been mired in chaos and violence. It lacks the capacity to hold democratic elections to elect a president and legitimize power in the country; meanwhile, Ariel Henry acts as interim president and prime minister, despite being suspected of being linked to the Moise crime.

During this time gang violence has grown exponentially and it is feared that without international assistance it will not be possible to restore order. In the last few days it was made public that the Kenyan justice system had declared “illegal” the deployment of Kenyan police to Haiti, in an international mission of the United Nations that was to be commanded by the African country.

Meanwhile, the UN is calling on the international community to get involved in a peace mission to Haiti, but so far without success, since no country seems willing to replace Kenya and command an international operation.