Haiti’s government is starting to crumble as Prime Minister Ariel Henry faces increased scrutiny from authorities investigating the president’s slaying, with Henry firing the justice minister late Wednesday, just hours after another top official resigned and accused Henry of obstructing justice in a sharply worded letter.
Henry’s dismissal of Justice Minister Rockfeller Vincent came a day after he fired Port-au-Prince’s chief prosecutor, who had linked the prime minister to a key suspect in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse.
Meanwhile, Renald Lubérice, who served more than four years as secretary general of Haiti’s Council of Ministers, said he could not remain under the direction of someone who is under suspicion and who “does not intend to cooperate with justice, seeking, on the contrary, by all means, to obstruct it.”
Lubérice also said he is concerned about the alleged evidence against Henry in the killing.
“May each minister put himself at the height of his mission at this historic crossroads,” he said.
A spokesman for Henry declined to comment. Vincent tweeted that the confidence Moïse showed him allowed him to serve with “dignity, competence, loyalty and a sense of public service.”
Vincent added that Haiti is obligated to bring those responsible to justice: “It is a matter of national dignity. I am counting on the independence of the justice of my country to shed light on this emblematic case and all the other pending cases.”
Henry appointed Liszt Quitel as justice minister and Josué Pierre Louis as the council’s secretary general. Quitel had been serving as interior minister under Henry and was once an adviser to then Haitian President René Préval.
The appointments come less than a week after then Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude asked Henry to meet with him Tuesday to explain why he had two phone conversations with a key suspect just hours after the July 7 killing of Moïse at his home. The suspect, Joseph Badio, was fired from the government’s anti-corruption unit in May and remains a fugitive, according to police, who seek him on charges including murder…..read more
Source: France24
