The head prosecutor in Haiti has been fired after seeking charges against Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in the murder of late President Jovenel Moise.
Port-au-Prince’s chief prosecutor, Bed-Ford Claude, was replaced on Tuesday. His termination comes as he was aiming to charge Henry in connection with the July 7th assassination of Moise in his home. His wife, Martine Marie Etienne Joseph, was also injured in the attack.
Claude had instructed the country’s immigration authority to prevent the Prime Minister from leaving the country while the investigation was ongoing. Before his firing, Claude revealed that phone records showed Henry had spoken with the assassination’s mastermind, Joseph Badio, a former employee of Haiti’s Ministry of Justice, on two occasions on the night of the murder. The former head prosecutor said the calls were placed at 4:03 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. on July 7th. Other evidence shows that Badio was close to the president’s palace at the time of the ambush.
The investigator asked Henry to testify about the case, which he refused. Claude claimed that “there are enough compromising elements” to prosecute Henry for the killing.
The Prime Minister has since appointed Frantz Louis Juste as Port-au-Prince’s interim chief prosecutor, as charges against him remain uncertain.
Over 40 suspects, including 18 former Colombian soldiers and three Haitian Americans, are in custody on charges related to the murder. However, authorities are still looking for Badio, former Haitian senator, and other key players in the orchestrated hit.
