Four key suspects in the killing of the Haitian president Jovenel Mo se were transferred to the U.S. for prosecution, as the case stagnates in Haiti amid death threats against local judges.
The suspects are James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, two Haitian-Americans who were among the first arrested after Mo se was shot 12 times at his private home near Port-au- Prince on July 7th, 2021.
The authorities have identified Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor, doctor and businessman who has been charged with being a key player. His associates suggested he was duped by the real and still unidentified masterminds behind the assassination that plunged Haiti into political chaos and unleashed a level of gang violence not seen in decades.
The fourth suspect was identified as Colombian citizen Germ n Rivera Garc, 44, who is among nearly two dozen former Colombian soldiers charged in the case.
Rivera, along with Solages and Vincent, face charges including conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the US and providing material support and resources resulting in death, the US justice department said.
Sanon is charged with conspiring to smuggle goods from the US and providing illegal export information. The court documents show that he allegedly shipped 20 ballistic vests to Haiti, but that the items were described as medical X-ray vests and school supplies. It was not immediately known if the four suspects had attorneys who could comment on the development. The men are scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Wednesday.
A total of seven suspects are in US custody. Dozens of others are still in Haiti's main prison, which is reportedly severely overcrowded and lacks food and water for inmates.
The case reached a virtual standstill in Haiti, with local officials nominating a fifth judge to investigate the killing after four others were dismissed or resigned for personal reasons.
One judge told the Associated Press that his family told him not to take the case because they feared for his life. Another judge stepped down after one of his assistants died under murky circumstances.
Haitian police say other high-profile suspects remain at large, including a former Supreme Court judge who authorities say was favoured to seize power from Mo se. Another fugitive is Joseph Badio, the alleged leader of the plot who previously worked for Haiti's justice ministry and the government's anti-corruption unit until he was fired, police say.
Emmanuel Jeanty, an attorney for the president's widow Martine Mo se, who was injured in the attack and flown to the US for care, did not return a message for comment.
In December, Martine Mo se tweeted that her husband, who has been accused of corruption, he denied fought against it, which resulted in his assassination.
Despite the blockades, the people are demanding justice, she wrote.