A former official from Haiti’s justice ministry, Joseph Felix Badio, has been apprehended by Haitian police on suspicion of orchestrating the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
Badio was arrested as he was leaving a supermarket parking lot in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The murder of President Moise, carried out in his bedroom by Colombian mercenaries in 2021, plunged Haiti into a protracted political crisis and resulted in a surge in lawlessness.
In the months that followed, criminal gangs expanded their control over the capital, including critical infrastructure and the main fuel port.
Joseph Felix Badio is accused of allegedly ordering hitmen to carry out the attack and has been charged with murder, attempted murder, and armed robbery.
Reports from local media indicate that Badio had been dismissed from his position as an anti-corruption official in the justice ministry a few months prior to the assassination.
His dismissal was reportedly linked to allegations of accepting bribes to release a prisoner.
Some of the individuals involved in the assassination case, including those who carried out the attack, implicated Badio in providing them with orders.
Several others linked to the case have faced convictions in the United States, such as John Joel Joseph, a former Haitian senator, and Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar.
The United States has also accused Venezuelan-American Antonio Intriago, the owner of Florida-based CTU Security, of hiring the mercenaries and has charged him with various offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping.
Since President Moise’s assassination, Haiti’s unelected government has struggled to provide even the most basic services, and according to a recent UN report, criminal gangs have assumed control over significant portions of the capital.
These gangs have taken over schools and clinics while terrorizing the population and engaging in turf wars.
The escalating violence has prompted thousands of Haitians to flee their homes in Port-au-Prince, resulting in a significant loss of life this year.
The UN recently approved the deployment of an international force to assist Haiti’s police, with Kenya offering to lead a multinational force to help restore order.
However, few countries have committed personnel to this effort, and its implementation is pending.
Source-BBC
