Francisco René - Haiti Observer Blog

In a surprise move, Metre Francisco Rene, the former Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince, publicly apologized to anyone he offended during his time as head of the Prosecutor of Port -au-Prince.

Who would ever believe that? Francisco Rene has decided to publicly make an apology for his behavior for the time he was the Commissioner of Port-au-Prince. It is unfortunate that in Haiti, we do not address the issue of mental illness seriously. In Haiti, someone can have any major mental illness like Bipolar disorder, Schizoaffective disorder disorder or any other personality disorder; however, as long as he/she is not throwing stones in the street, is not considered ill.

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The day has come when Me Francisco René is obligated to "Prendre ses Affaires" and leave his powerful position as the Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince. The rug has been removed under his feet. I want to take a piece in the classic from Maurice Sixto in his piece Zabelbok Ber-a-Chat and I find myself on the side of "Manzè Sandrine" to say: "Kabelbok Perdi Paryag sa"

Me Francisco René who recently replaced Me Lucmane Delille in office as the Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince was fired on November 27, 2013.He was the 9th Commissioner of Government under President Michel Martelly.

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For the first time in over two centuries, Haiti has been making serious headway in rooting out corruption in business and government sectors. Ninety-four suspects have been kept in custody, or charged for practicing corruption within the last year. The latest arrestee is Philippe Chatelin, a local businessperson, who was taken into custody as a suspect in a corruption and contraband scheme, with several Customs officials also participating.

Francisco Rene, Port-au-Prince prosecutor, said his department is committed to wiping out corruption, issuing a warning to those engaged in corruption they will be caught and prosecuted. Government officials claim 90 suspects have been brought in on fraud charges, relating to Haiti's education fund and other government programs.

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Lawyers in Haiti have had enough! Following the arrest of their fellow, Andre Michel, a move many deem as unlawful, Haiti's robed workforce descended upon the streets like a flock of avenging angels to protest his arrest and also to demand the revocation of the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince, Francisco René. And they may have been quite right to, if reports as to the suspected nature of the arrest, severely unrepresented by the official arrest record, are to be believed.

For the Commissioner's part, his action of arresting Michel for what is described as a minor traffic infraction was motivated by the current Administration's wish to censor the lawyer who has been very active in cases filed against the government. As such, some of the protesters, unnamed, vocally and harshly criticized the Executive Body and the Minister of Justice, Jean Renel Sanon.

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According to Haitian authorities, the Human rights lawyer, Me Andre michel is now a fugitive of the law. Government Commissioner, René Francisco, stated that lawyer Andre Michel became a fugitive from the moment he decided to flee the courthouse without a release order.

The Haitian government put out a statement saying: "by voluntarily accepting the help of three parliamentarians accomplice to escape the courthouse while he was under the orders of the court, the defendant is constituted as a fugitive"

Questions:

Once again, i am sorry to ask my usual stupid questions. However, the moment I heard that Attorney Andre Michel has become a fugitive of the law, there are some questions that immediately came to mind:

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After supporters of Andre Michel had gathered around the Palace of Justice to apply some pressure, André Michel was released. According to report, he was taken to the Haitian Parliament by a group of parliamentarians for security issue. The people on the streets asked for the immediate release of André Michel. They even went further in their slogans, chanting:

"Aba Francisco Rene arrest Rene Francisco,"
Also, there has been rumors in the streets that Mr. Francisco Rene is already on his way out. Many people rumored state the possible dismissal of the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince, Mr. René Francisco in the next few days

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Me Francisco René, the Chief Prosecutor of Port-de-Paix, has been appointed as the Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince and the 9th Commissioner in the President Martelly Government since it came to power. He replaced Me Lucmane Delille, who held this office since October 30, 2012. Me Delille, the former commissioner of Port-au-Prince, has been transferred to the Ministry of Justice.

The appointment of Me Francisco René as the new Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince was confirmed by the Minister of Justice, Jean Renel Sanon, on August 19, 2013. Me Francisco René, as the former Chief Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince, has left behind a mixed record of several unsolved political and judicial scandals. Although Mr. Rene is already a reputed leader of ASMAH, an association of pro-government judges, his appointment as the Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince came amidst stern condemnation and protest even before he took charges as the Ninth Commissioner of the Government.

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