Verdict
Murder of Haiti’s President: Businessman sentenced to prison
A businessman has been convicted in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. photo
© Lynne Sladky/AP
Two years ago, Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was shot dead in his home with 12 gunshots. A Haitian-Chilean businessman in the US has been jailed for conspiracy to murder.
A Haitian-Chilean businessman has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the US in connection with the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse almost two years ago. This was reported by US media on Friday from the courtroom in Miami, Florida. Rodolphe Jaar had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges including conspiracy to murder and kidnap outside the United States in March. He also admitted to helping Colombian mercenaries by providing them with weapons, shelter and money.
President Moïse was killed with twelve shots on the night of July 7, 2021 in his residence in the capital Port-au-Prince. According to investigations by the authorities in Haiti and the USA, around 20 Colombian mercenaries carried out the crime on behalf of several backers. The US investigators assume that the original plan was to kidnap Moïse. The background to the fact is still not clear. More than 40 suspects have been arrested in Haiti, including 18 Colombians and the chief of Moïse’s palace guard. So far, however, no one has been charged.
Charges have been brought against eleven people in the United States, including a former Haitian senator. Jaar is the first to be convicted. Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent and suffers from an extremely poor security, supply and health situation. Gangs control large parts of the metropolitan area of the capital Port-au-Prince and use brutal means to fight for territory. No elections have been held in Haiti since Moïse’s death.