Teleco - Haiti Observer Blog

If the Haitian government could have it his way, to communicate with a friend or family member outside of Haiti, you would have to go back to the time when you go to Teleco, pay a huge fee. Then, you ask the operator to make the call. You wait in the waiting room from anywhere between one to four hours. Finally, there is contact, you are called to go to a small "cabine". If you are lucky, the person is there. You need to speak loudly in order for the person to hear you; at the same time, everyone else become part of the conversation.

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Department of Justice prosecutors petitioned the Court on Tuesday, March 10th, invoking the Rule 35 motion, to request a reduction of Robert Antoine's four-year prison term he is currently serving, for embezzlment in a kick-back scheme, between Haiti Teleco and telecom firms, Terra and Cinergy, based in Florida. According to prosecutors, Antoine has "provided ample assistance to all law agencies," entitling him to a reconsideration of his sentence.

During the Court's hearing on the Rule 35 motion, the "particulars of the defendant's cooperation will be submitted at court," according to the petition.

Antoine, one-time overseer of Haiti Teleco's international operations, received bribes in excess of $1 million, in return for providing steep discounts in telephone rates and automatic contract renewals, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

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