corruption

Since 2010 when Haiti's 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated by individuals, foundations, and non-government organizations (NGO) to aid in reconstruction efforts. But very little of that money has actually been used for the dozens upon dozens of projects necessary to getting Haiti's infrastructure repaired and strengthened. Many factors are involved that have thrown up blockades toward achieving more and faster progress in planning and implementing building and road-reconstruction projects, as well as human-aid services.

Three reasons are interfering with the re-building of Haiti: many donors have not honored their pledges, mis-spending has occurred, and the government of Haiti (GOH) has not provided transparency in its spending accountability practices.

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Based on a latest perceived corruption report by Transparency International, Haiti's score improved, ranking 165 out of 176 countries. Its current position is better than last year's 175th place. The index of corruption perception, which used a scale between 0 (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean), gave Haiti a score of 19. Though the Caribbean nation's score improved by 10 places, it still has the highest corruption perception in the region.

Given the result, the Haiti government reiterated its call to all sectors to team up in fighting corruption. During a ceremony marking the 10th International Day of Fight Against Corruption, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe stressed that every sector in the government must fulfill its role in the crusade against this crime. He said that the Haiti government would continue to hold its commitment to fighting the crime, adding that Haiti will remain implementing the National Strategy for Fight Against Corruption. He also called on the State, the private business sector and civil society players to come together and participate in this campaign.

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President Michel Martelly's administration has been faced with a series of controversies recently. One of the most recent issues is an allegation made by a Haitian senator from the country's North department, Moise Jean-Charles, regarding the President's lavish travel expenses.

Earlier this month, Senator Jean-Charles gave a speech in a Lavalas family party's rally in Brooklyn, New York and an interview to a Haitian newspaper, claiming that Martelly, his family and his staff were wrongly and excessively spending Haiti's money when traveling to other countries that amounted to millions of dollars. This included expensive aircraft rentals, vehicle buying, and unreasonably big withdrawals from the country's central bank for questionable purposes.

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Haitian attorneys André Michel and Louis Newton St. Juste arrived in the U.S. recently to meet with representatives of human rights organizations (HRO). The reason for the visit was to obtain support for Michel and St. Juste's allegations that President Martelly's family has been engaging in corruption practices.

Michel and St. Juste, who are practicing members of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, spoke before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about the continuing problem of corruption in the Haitian government. They met also with representatives of the U.S. State Department, Congress, and the Haitian Diaspora.

Together with HRO legal counsel, Michel and St. Juste have begun preparations to prosecute Sophia and Olivier Martelly, the president's wife and son, for diverting funds allocated to state programs for their personal use. Other government officials are said to be involved in the corruption scheme as well.

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