Key facts
- The US has indicted 30 people in connection with the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
- Eighteen suspects were transferred from Haiti to the US.
- Joseph Felix Badio, a former Haitian government official, is accused of masterminding the plot.
- Gang leader Vitel'homme Innocent, who remains at large in Haiti, was also named in the indictment.
- The plot allegedly involved hiring Colombian mercenaries and using fraudulent labels for shipped items.
- A dozen individuals have previously been convicted in US courts for their roles in the assassination.
The United States has significantly broadened its prosecution of the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, indicting 30 individuals allegedly involved in the plot and transferring 18 suspects from Haiti to the US. The unsealed indictment, originally secured in August, marks a major escalation in the investigation.
US attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones announced the expansion on Saturday, describing it as the "next major phase" of the case. Prosecutors allege that the conspirators, operating across Haiti and Florida, hired former Colombian soldiers posing as Drug Enforcement Administration agents to kidnap and kill Moise. The ultimate goal, according to the indictment, was to install a US-Haitian doctor as the president.
The plotters are accused of using a network of companies and pandemic-era loans to finance the operation, with items like body armor allegedly shipped to Haiti under fraudulent labels. To date, a dozen individuals have pleaded guilty or been convicted in US court proceedings related to the assassination, with five receiving life sentences.
Among the newly indicted is Joseph Felix Badio, a former Haitian government official who worked in an anti-corruption unit, identified as the alleged mastermind. Badio, who appeared in a Miami court in a wheelchair, has maintained his innocence. Also named is gang leader Vitel'homme Innocent, who is still at large in Haiti and faces separate charges related to the kidnapping of US and Canadian missionaries. Innocent previously stated in an interview that he blamed corruption for such actions and wished to defend himself in court.
The indictment also implicates Innocent in allegedly helping a Colombian mercenary and a Haitian senator, both already serving life sentences, evade capture after Moise's murder. Five other individuals are charged with funneling pandemic-era loans to fund the plot.
Haitian political analysts view the US indictments as a reflection of Haiti's struggling judicial system, which has yet to conduct a trial for Moise's murder despite a five-year investigation. However, some, like analyst Chantal Elie, expressed hope that the US case could bring about accountability, suggesting a potential "domino effect" where previously untouchable individuals could be implicated. Wolf Pamphile, head of the Haiti Policy House, suggested that the indictments might not necessarily increase pressure on gang leaders like Innocent within Haiti, where authorities are aware of his location but have not apprehended him.