The wife of the former Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse has written to United States President Donald Trump, asking him to declassify all Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and State Department documents related to the assassination of her husband on July 7, 2021.
“My husband Jovenel Moïse was sworn in as president on February 7, 2017, for a five-year term after winning two elections. Like you, he undertook deep economic reforms to stop billions of dollars of corruption pocketed by oligarchs. Like you, he was targeted with a coordinated character assassination campaign for his ambitious and bold reforms. Also like you, he was the target of physical assassination attempts,” Moïse wrote.
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“Unlike you, those attempts were successful and he was killed on July 7, 2021. On that day I was shot several times and left for dead while my kids sheltered in the other room. Since I was the target of three assassination attempts.”
Moïse said that the perpetrators of “this heinous act controlled the Executive and Judiciary branches of government and are ruling Haiti with the gangs,” adding that “the Haitian people want justice, peace and opportunity”.
”As you root out corruption and waste in your government, please declassify all FBI, and State Department documents related to my husband’s assassination. It’s also time for Haiti, in accordance with its constitution, to have a prime minister heading the Executive Branch (Article 149) in order to destroy the gangs and organize free and fair elections for the return of constitutional order,” she added.
In February 2023, four Florida men were arrested in the plot to kill Moïse with the grand jury returning indictments against 11 people.
According to court documents, from at least February 2021 to July 2021, South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust President Moïse from power and replace him with someone who would serve the co-conspirators’ political goals and financial interests.
In October 2023, a retired Colombian army officer was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 2021 assassination of Moïse.
German Alejandro Rivera Garcia, 45, also known as Colonel Mike, had pleaded guilty to conspiring and supporting a plot to kill the Haitian president.
According to court documents, he was part of a convoy headed to Moïse’s private residence the day of the killing, after he relayed information that the plan was not to kidnap Moïse but to kill him.
Several former Colombian military men remain in prison in Haiti awaiting trial.
In February last year, a Haitian judge investigating Moïse’s assassination charged his widow, the former prime minister, and an ex-chief of police with complicity in the killing.
The 122-page leaked document, detailed how Moïse’s widow, allegedly conspired with former prime minister Claude Joseph to kill the president, intending to replace him herself.
Meanwhile, the United States said it remains committed to supporting the Haitian people in achieving stability that can bring about a Haitian-led political solution through free and fair elections.
A statement issued by the US embassy said that critical equipment had been donated by the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to Haiti.
It said that in addition to the equipment, INL has contributed other law enforcement tools to aid the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission working in coordination with the Haitian National Police (HNP) to continue combatting criminal gangs.
The embassy said contributions include armored personal carriers, various types of loaders, weapons, ammunition, day cabs, and other materials.
“A well-equipped HNP and MSS mission is critical to continuing the fight against gangs who aim to destabilize the country and feed their own selfish, criminal interests at the expense of fellow Haitians,” the statement said. (CMC)
