PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry says he will support sending suspects held in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise to the United States (US) for trial if requested by American law enforcement agencies.
In an interview with the Miami Herald newspaper over the last weekend, Henry, who again denied any involvement in the death of Moise, said if the Americans made a request for the extradition of the suspects “they will have the full cooperation of the nation”.’
President Moise was shot and killed at his private residence on July 7 last year. Since then a number of people including former Colombian military officers as well as Haitian Americans have been detained in connection with the murder.
The United States Justice Department has charged two people including a Haitian-Chilean citizen with conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside of the US.
They are also charged with “providing material support resulting in death, knowing or intending that such material support would be used to prepare for or carry out the conspiracy to kill or kidnap”
In his interview with the Miami Herald newspaper, Prime Minister Henry said he is supportive of the US effort” describing as “fake news” that he was involved in the assassination and was protecting a key suspect, Joseph Félix Badio, who has been on the run.
“I want to make a public announcement to say to Badio to turn himself in to the police and then we’ll know the truth. For the justice part of this case, he has to turn himself in,” Henry said.
The prime minister’s statement that he is willing to extradite the suspects to the United States is likely to face opposition from the Justice Minister Berto Dorcé, who has said in the past that those involved must face Haitian justice.
“The judgement has to be done in Haiti,” Dorcé said, adding that it was not an American president who was killed.
