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WORLD NEWS Thursday 2 February 2023

4 key suspects in Haiti presidential slaying in U.S. custody

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)
— Four key suspects in the
killing of Haitian President
Jovenel Moïse were trans-
ferred to the United States
for prosecution as the case
stagnates in Haiti amid
death threats that have
spooked local judges, U.S.
officials announced Tues-
day.
The suspects now in custo-
dy of the U.S. government
include James Solages,
37, and Joseph Vincent,
57, two Haitian-Americans
who were among the first
arrested after Moïse was
shot 12 times at his private
home near the capital of
Port-au-Prince on July, 7 Suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, among them Haitian-American
2021. citizens James Solages, left, and Joseph Vincent, second left, are shown to the media at the
Also charged is Christian General Direction of the police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, July 8, 2021.
Emmanuel Sanon, an el- Associated Press
derly pastor, doctor and court Wednesday in Miami. edly help arrest the presi- former Colombian soldier
failed businessman that au- A total of seven suspects dent and protect Sanon, who was deported by Ja-
thorities have identified as in the case are now in U.S. who envisioned himself maica after fleeing there
a key player. His associates custody. Dozens of others as Haiti’s new leader. Ri- from Haiti. While en route
have suggested he was still languish in Haiti’s main vera was in charge of that to Colombia, he was de-
duped by the real and still penitentiary, which is se- group, the documents tained by U.S. officials in
unidentified masterminds verely overcrowded and state. Panama during a layover.
behind the assassination often lacks food and water The plan was to detain Also in January 2022, au-
that has plunged Haiti for inmates. Moïse and whisk him to thorities arrested former
deep into political chaos The case has reached a an unidentified location Haitian Sen. John Joël Jo-
and unleashed a level of virtual standstill in Haiti, by plane, but that plot fell seph, who also had fled to
gang violence not seen in with local officials last year through when the suspects Jamaica.
decades. nominating a fifth judge to couldn’t find a plane or suf- Alfredo Izaguirre, a Miami-
The fourth suspect was investigate the killing after ficient weapons, authorities based lawyer for Palacios,
identified as Colombian four others were dismissed said. said Tuesday’s arrival of
citizen Germán Rivera Gar- or resigned for personal A day before the killing, the four other suspects will
cía, 44, who is among near- reasons. Solages falsely told other postpone the trial because
ly two dozen former Co- One judge told The Asso- suspects that it was a CIA they all have to be tried at
lombian soldiers charged in ciated Press that his family operation and that the the same time. He said Pa-
the case. asked him not to take the mission was to kill the presi- lacios had been prepared
Rivera, along with Solages case because they feared dent, according to the for the trial to begin in early
and Vincent, face charg- for his life. Another judge documents. Shortly before March, but now it could be
es including conspiring to stepped down after one the killing, authorities said, postponed for up to four
commit murder or kidnap- of his assistants died under Solages shouted that it was months.
ping outside the U.S. and murky circumstances. allegedly a DEA operation Haiti police say other high-
providing material support Court documents state that to ensure compliance from profile suspects remain at
and resources resulting in exactly two months before the president’s security de- large, including a former
death, the U.S. Justice De- Moïse was killed, Vincent tail. About a year after the Supreme Court judge who
partment said. texted Solages a video of a killing, U.S. authorities say authorities say was favored
Sanon is charged with con- cat “reacting alertly” to the they interviewed Solages, to seize power from Moïse
spiring to smuggle goods sound of gunfire and that Vincent and Rivera while instead of Sanon as origi-
from the U.S. and provid- Solages laughed, prompt- they were in Haitian cus- nally planned. Another fu-
ing unlawful export infor- ing Vincent to respond: tody and that they agreed gitive is Joseph Badio, al-
mation. Court documents “That’s the way Jovenel will to talk. leged leader of the plot
state that he allegedly be pretty much, but (soon- The other suspects already who previously worked for
shipped 20 ballistic vests er) if you guys really up to in U.S. custody are Rodol- Haiti’s Ministry of Justice
to Haiti, but that the items it!” phe Jaar, a former U.S. and the government’s anti-
shipped were described as The document states that government informant corruption unit until he was
“medical X-ray vests and Solages responded that and a Haitian businessman fired, police say.
school supplies.” “(this) cat will never come who was extradited from Emmanuel Jeanty, an at-
It was not immediately back,” and “trust me broth- the Dominican Republic, torney for the president’s
known if the four suspects er, we definitely working where he was detained in widow, Martine Moïse, who
had attorneys who could our final decision.” January 2022. was injured in the attack
comment on the develop- Then in June, some 20 for- That same month, U.S. au- and flown to the U.S. for
ment. The men are sched- mer Colombian soldiers thorities arrested Mario An- care, did not return a mes-
uled to appear in federal were recruited to suppos- tonio Palacios Palacios, a sage for comment. q