A judge in Haiti has formally accused Martine Moïse, the widow of slain President Jovenel Moïse, in connection with his assassination on July 7, 2021.
Martine Moïse, who herself was injured during the attack, is among numerous individuals charged after a two-year investigation.
The charges against her include “complicity and criminal association,” as per a leaked legal document from a Haitian news outlet.
Neither she nor her legal representative has responded to these specific allegations. Martine Moïse has, however, used social media to decry what she perceives as “unjust arrests” and a “never-ending persecution.”
The whereabouts of Martine Moïse remain unknown.
While the indictment lists 51 individuals, it does not pinpoint who ordered or financed President Moïse’s assassination.
President Moïse, aged 53, was fatally shot at his private residence near Port-au-Prince by a group predominantly composed of Colombian mercenaries.
The indictment, which became public through a Haitian news source, was issued by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, the fifth judge overseeing the murder inquiry.
In the extensive document, accusations against Martine Moïse and others are outlined.
The document cites statements made by Lyonel Valbrun, the former secretary general at Haiti’s National Palace, accusing Martine Moïse of spending five hours removing items from the palace two days before the assassination.
Valbrun alleges that she did so with prior knowledge of the impending events.
Another suspect, former Haitian Justice Ministry official Joseph Felix Badio, accuses Martine Moïse of plotting to overthrow her husband’s presidency.
Badio claims she conspired with then-Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who is also charged, to facilitate her ascension to power.
Responding to the allegations, Claude Joseph accused the current Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, of targeting him and Martine Moïse.
Joseph alleges that Henry was the primary beneficiary of President Moïse’s murder and accuses him of manipulating the Haitian justice system.
Ariel Henry, however, is not among those indicted by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, despite phone records indicating he received calls from a suspect shortly after the assassination.
Henry has consistently denied any involvement in Moïse’s murder, dismissing such allegations as “fake news.”
In addition to Haitian authorities, investigations into President Moïse’s assassination are ongoing in the United States, where four individuals have been sentenced to life in prison.
The US was where part of the plot to overthrow President Moïse was allegedly devised.
Source-BBC
