Security Crime Law and Order

Internationally-recognized Haitian-American and Hip-Hop musician, Wyclef Jean, established his Yele foundation, in 2005. After the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Yele contracted with HVS Global Hospitality Services to offer a six-month hospitality training course. Yele's payout in monthly installments was to total $285,000. To date HVS has been paid only 61% of the total, causing HVS to file suit in New York City's Supreme Court.

Wyclef Jean's celebrity allowed his foundation to collect nearly $2 million from international donors within a short time-period post-quake. But after some Haitian businesses filed their own lawsuits against Yele for defaulting on debt payments to them, an auditing firm examined the foundation's books and uncovered an embezzlement scheme. Yele had been funneling money to Jean, his business contacts, and family members from $16 million in foundation funds accrued over several years. It was also discovered by the Attorney General of New York Yele had not paid income taxes for a number of years. In response Yele liquidated its assets and hid them.

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Few people guilty of the most heinous crimes in Haiti's history have received due punishment. It would seem that justice for the wrongs done to people in the country, blatantly orchestrated and performed by those in power, is a thing to be hoped for but never truly achieved.

When Luc Désir was charged with his crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor in the late 1980's, it seemed as though all the people he'd tortured, their families who suffered and those whose lives he'd brutally ended, all as the head of Francois Duvalier's Secret Police, would finally see restitution. It's been speculated that hundreds of people imprisoned by him disappeared without trace, the true nature of his dealings with the imprisoned unknown until audio recordings he made of his torture sessions became public fodder.

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Internationally-recognized Haitian-American and Hip-Hop musician, Wyclef Jean, established his Yele foundation, in 2005. After the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, Yele contracted with HVS Global Hospitality Services to offer a six-month hospitality training course. Yele's payout in monthly installments was to total $285,000. To date HVS has been paid only 61% of the total, causing HVS to file suit in New York City's Supreme Court.

Wyclef Jean's celebrity allowed his foundation to collect nearly $2 million from international donors within a short time-period post-quake. But after some Haitian businesses filed their own lawsuits against Yele for defaulting on debt payments to them, an auditing firm examined the foundation's books and uncovered an embezzlement scheme. Yele had been funneling money to Jean, his business contacts, and family members from $16 million in foundation funds accrued over several years. It was also discovered by the Attorney General of New York Yele had not paid income taxes for a number of years. In response Yele liquidated its assets and hid them.

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This is no longer a rumor. According to lematinhaiti.com, judge Yvickel Dabrezil who has been working on the case regarding the assassination of the CEO of Radio Haiti Inter, John Leopold Dominique and Jean Claude Louissaint has confirmed that to be a fact. The Lavalas Leader and former President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide has received an invitation to answer questions around the assassination on April 3rd, 2000 of John Leopold Dominique and Jean Claude Louissaint

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will be present at the cabinet of instruction, Wednesday, April 24, for questioning in the case following the invitation that was delivered to his residence of Tabarre.

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The inmates of Haiti's prisons are receiving what has been described as badly needed aid. The distribution of hygiene kits, clothes and shoes began as the initiative of the (DAP) Directorate of Prison Administration which requested the assistance, funded by the Treasury, of Minister Delegate in charge of Human Rights and the Fight against Poverty Extreme, Rose Anne Auguste.

1000 hygiene kits, which include detergent, toilet paper, soap, deodorant and toothpaste, were delivered along with an equal amount of bowls, spoons and cups. Also given to the 810 prisoners (26 women and 784 men) held in Cap-Haitien's prison were the gifts of jerseys, sandals and shorts. The presentation took place with Zéphirin Ardouin, Departmental Delegate, the prison director, Divisional Inspector Romage Marlon and Government Commissioner Lesly Jules as witness.

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Haiti, which suffers from the worst poverty in the western Hemisphere, frequent natural disasters, and an inconstant government, has been more prone to gender-based violence (GBV). In the first years following Aristide's expired second-term, 35,000 women were raped in a power grab for political dominance. And Haiti's history discloses that in the aftermath of 60 rulers over-thrown or assassinated, many rapes occurred as a result of the violence.

Statistics gathered by non-government organization (NGO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), documented that Haiti experiences one of the highest percentages of GBV perpetrated on women. An alarming 72% of young Haitian girls have been sexually assaulted. Another NGO, Inter-American Commission on Human rights, discovered that 90%-plus Haitian women have experienced some variation of violent assault on their persons.

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On 23rd August, 2005, businessman Stanley Handal was arrested along with 3 defendants because of an open investigation that was initiated on account of disappearance of Nathael Aleus Geneus. Nathael was an UNIBANK employee. In 2008 Handal was cleared by Jean Perez Paul, the investigating judge. Jean Perez Paul issued a dismissal order to clear Handal. In November 2012, National Network of Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH) issued a report in which it was claimed that the clearance was illegal and that Stanley Handal is a leader of Clifford Brandt's thieves association.

Countering this, Frizto Canton who is the lawyer of Stanley Handal, issued a denial statement stating that there was no relationship whatsoever between Stanley Handal and Clifford Brandt as has been claimed by press. Canton said that two men are by no means partners or friends and that his client, Mr. Handal is all set to repair the damage caused to his honor, even if that means a fight to death. Canton clearly said that the dignity of his client has been soiled by the unfair reports.

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Department of Justice (DOJ) Commissioner, Lucmane Delille, and National Police of Haiti (PNH) Commissioner, Gary Desrosiers, recently held a press conference about the gang problem and solutions their agencies are taking to control it.

Lucmane Delille made the announcement DOJ has allied with NPH to combat gang-instigated crime. He emphasized the agencies would pursue all kinds of gang activity to bring the crime rate down and secure neighborhood safety. He insisted the DOH and NPH will not let gangs get away with violating the law without consequences. Gary Desrosiers reinforced the two agencies' commitment to secure the safety of citizens. And to ensure criminal activity does not gain a foothold in any neighborhood.

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It is reported that Civil Merius, one of the residents of Camp Acra et Adoquin Delmas 33 has been beaten to death by police after he participated in a protest against arson attack on the temporary camp that houses over 30,000 Haitians. The camp is a temporary residence for these people after their homes were devastated by the earthquake of 2010. Darlin Lexima, another camp resident was also reported to have been beaten up by the police and taken in custody but Darlin did not participate in the protest. However, Darlin was later released by the police without any charges.

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A writer from London's Independent stated that Jean Dominique has given one final service to Haiti by perishing 'in a hail of bullets', explaining that the life-long advocate of building democracy in Haiti by eradicating corruption at all levels had managed to turn the eyes of the world to a country only noticed when the bodies start to pile up.

On April 3, 2000, having arrived in the courtyard of Radio Haiti Inter, the station he founded in the early 70's, Jean Léopold Dominique was killed as a result of 4 shots to the chest. The attack, which also claimed the life of a station employee, was carried out before the early morning show Dominique was slated to begin.

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