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On Tuesday, Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, fired the chief prosecutor, who accused him of being linked to the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7. Haiti’s political crisis worsened. .
Henry’s decision to fire the prosecutor Bedford Crowder exposed the infighting at the highest level of the Haitian government, which was more than two months after Moise was fired. Shot by an assassin He stormed into his private house on the hill above Port-au-Prince.
Claude was fired hours after asking the judge who investigated the murder of Moise Suing the prime minister Related to the case.
“I am happy to inform you that it is decided to terminate your position,” Henry told Claude in a publicly distributed letter.
Henry was a politically moderate and neurosurgeon. Moise was appointed prime minister a few days before his death in an attempt to ease political tensions. He promised to improve the country’s severe security situation and organize long-delayed elections. A few days after Moise was assassinated, he was officially appointed as ruler.
Crowder said last week that telephone records showed that Henry had twice communicated with a mastermind who was believed to be Moise’s murder on the night of the crime.
The suspect is a former Justice Department official who Henry publicly defended and is now at large.
Henry rejected the prosecutor’s political request to discuss the matter and did not respond to the allegations.
This prompted Claude on Tuesday to write to the judge responsible for overseeing the investigation of the Moyce murder case and request him to accuse Henry as a suspect.
He also wrote to the immigration office, telling them not to let Henry leave the country “because of the serious presumption related to the president’s assassination.”
Later on Tuesday, a letter written by Henry to Claude appeared on September 13, in which he stated that he had fired the prosecutor due to a “serious administrative error,” but did not elaborate. In another letter dated September 14, he appointed Frantz Louis Juste to the position.
It is not clear whether this order is effective, because the 1987 Constitution of Haiti stipulates that prosecutors can only be appointed or dismissed by the President, and this position is still vacant.
‘weird’
Some legal experts expressed shock at Claude’s request to interrogate Henry and allegations that the prosecutor’s actions hindered judicial independence.
In recent days, some people in the government have also called on the prime minister to resign because of these allegations.
“These are grotesque political behaviors,” Samuel Madistin, a lawyer for a human rights group, told AFP.
Decades of political turmoil and natural disasters have plagued the development of Haiti. Its aid-dependent economy is the poorest in the Americas. More than one-third of Haitians face severe food insecurity. Gangs have turned large areas of the capital into a no-go zone.
So far, 44 people have been arrested in the assassination investigation, including 18 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. The president’s security personnel were not injured in the attack.
“This is an extremely complicated situation,” Michael Diebert, a reporter and author who has covered Haiti for more than 20 years, told Al Jazeera. “The Haitian people have a lot of doubts about whether this investigation will be allowed. Most of the people arrested so far, I don’t think anyone seriously thinks they are rich people or real intellectuals of this crime.”
About 44 people were arrested for the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead at his home on July 7 [File: Estailove St-Val/Reuters]Saturday Henry Criticize the earlier request When questioned, he said: “These distracting strategies aimed at creating chaos and preventing the peaceful operation of justice are untenable.
“Those who are truly guilty, the mastermind of the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, and those who ordered the assassination will be found, brought to justice, and punished for their actions.”
On the same day, the Prime Minister of Haiti announced that the main political forces in Haiti have reached an agreement on the establishment of a transitional government until next year’s presidential election and a referendum on whether to pass a new constitution.
The agreement established a council of ministers under Henry’s leadership.
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