Haiti Judge Issues Arrest Warrants Vs. Ex-Presidents, Prime Ministers Over Corruption

The justice system in Haiti may have been crippled by the ongoing crisis, but a judge in the country has surprisingly issued arrest warrants against former presidents and prime ministers, accusing them of corruption as the country grapples with gang violence and economic turmoil.

The Haiti judge issued arrest warrants for over 30 high-ranking officials, all of whom have been accused of corruption. The arrest warrants issued included former Haiti presidents Michel Martelly and Jocelerme Privert, as well as former prime ministers Laurent Lamothe, Jean-Michel Lapin, Evans Paul, and Jean-Henry Céant.

Two of the former top officials issued statements regarding the allegations and arrest warrants against them, and they are former President Privert and former Prime Minister Lapin. The Associated Press tried to reach out to the others but did not get a reply.

Lapin issued his statement with the local newspaper, Le Nouvelliste. He stated that he was never officially notified of the arrest warrant and denied the allegations levied against him, stating that he had never been involved with the National Equipment Center during his 32-year career as a politician.

"I have also never requisitioned or requested the use of any equipment from this institution for my personal needs or for loved ones," the former Haiti prime minister said in his statement.

As for former President Privert, he stated that the judge was only acting maliciously and thoughtlessly. He asserted that the Court of First Instance, which the judge is part of, "has no jurisdiction over the actions taken by presidents, prime ministers and ministers in the exercise of their functions."

So far, nobody has been arrested yet, and no word on where the investigations into these top Haitian officials have been going has been released so far.

Dominican Republic Says Security in Border Remains Strong as Haiti Crisis Continues

Meanwhile, as the Haiti Crisis continues to worsen, the one country that shares a border with it, the Dominican Republic, has recently stated that its border security is still strong despite its neighbor's ongoing woes.

According to Dominican Today, the General Commander of the Dominican Army, Carlos Fernández Onofre, told reporters that the Haiti-Dominican border "is sufficiently reinforced and there is no need for additional measures."

He added that the country is also taking measures to prevent the re-entry of hundreds of undocumented Haitians who voluntarily returned to Haiti for Christmas.

$28,000 Raised by 10-Year-Old Girl To Build Churches in Haiti

It is not all bad news for Haiti though, as a fourth grader at South Haven Christian School, a 10-year-old girl named Kate, managed to raise $28,000 to build 4 churches in the embattled Caribbean country.

According to the Baptist Paper, she and her family operate the Hancock Family Farm and market in Springfield, and they have been partnering with Emannuel Haiti, a ministry of nearby Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Cross Plains, which also provides schools, housing, and medical services to more than 600 orphans in Haiti.

Kate and her mother started fundraising for them last fall, selling hot cider for the mission. She had been adamant about building churches in Haiti, and many in the community pitched it, and they were amazed by such a strong response.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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