Haitian An official ceremony is held on Tuesday to commemorate the assassinated president Giovinel Mois At the same time, a new interim leader was appointed and at least three police officers implicated in the killing were arrested.
Appointed Prime Minister Ariel Henry was sworn in to replace Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who took over the leadership of Haiti with the support of the police and the army after the attack on the private residence of Moise on July 7.
“I come from a school that believes in dialogue,” said Henry, who called for unity and promised to meet with various departments in the next few days to reach a consensus. “The Haitian people are the solution to the crisis.”
The neurosurgeon and former cabinet minister Henry promised to form an interim consensus government to lead Haiti until elections. He said he has met with various unidentified actors as well as civil society and the private sector.
The government announced the name of Henry’s cabinet, and the Attorney General, the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Agriculture and other ministers retained their positions.
In the courtyard of the National Pantheon Museum in the center of Port-au-Prince, a group of international dignitaries and Haitian officials in dark suits sit under the shade of pink and white bougainvillea trees to commemorate Moise, whose assassination shocked Haiti .
When Joseph talked with mourners, a huge portrait of the president hung behind him. “The president died because of his political and social convictions,” he said.
Joseph accused the oligarchs and criminals of assassinating the character of the President, and then the President himself. He called on everyone to seize this opportunity to find a common goal and a lasting and feasible solution.
Moise was shot multiple times and his wife was seriously injured. Although officials have arrested at least 26 people, it is not clear who was ultimately behind the attack.
Police Chief Leon Charles announced the official arrests of four other people on Tuesday-at least three of them were police officers, and he did not release their military ranks.
“The police have infiltrated,” he said.
The Haitian police identified the fourth suspect (not a police officer) as Dominick Cauvin.
Public records show that a man named Dominick Cauvin lives in South Florida and has spent some time in Miami, Miami Beach and Pembroke Pines in recent years. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is listed as an independent security consultant; his private Instagram account lists him as the founder and owner of Armotech International Corp. and Armotech Group SA in Haiti.
Public records show that Cauvin is currently listed as the chief executive officer of Armotech International Corp., a company headquartered in Pembroke Pines, Florida, which was registered in the state on November 2, 2020. Records show that he established a similar company called Armotech Group Inc. in early January 2020, but dissolved it in April 2021.
Authorities said earlier that they detained and quarantined several senior police officers, but did not formally arrest them because they tried to determine why the attackers were able to reach the president without any guard injuries.
Haitian election minister Matthias Pierre told the Associated Press on Monday that Joseph will resign and cede the position to Henry, who was elected to the position by Moise shortly before he was killed, but has not yet been sworn in. .
In a statement issued on Saturday, a group of important international diplomats called on Henry to establish a “consensus and inclusive government,” but Joseph was not mentioned and the leadership changed. The core team is composed of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the United States, France and the European Union, as well as representatives from the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
Robert Farton, a Haitian political expert at the University of Virginia, said Joseph’s departure was expected.
“Joseph’s fate is doomed at the weekend,” he said. “Everything that happens in Haiti has a strong foreign element.”
Haitian police put Venezuelans on a growing list of suspects in presidential assassinations
A major opposition coalition known as the Ministry of Democracy and People called Henry a puppet of the international community and rejected his appointment.
It said: “This step is just a political provocation, which will add fuel to the fire and further plunge the country into crisis.”
Many people were surprised by the sudden return of first lady Martine Moise to Haiti on the same day that the core group issued a statement. She has been recovering in a hospital in Miami. On Monday, her office issued its first public statement since the murder, thanking Haitians for their support.
It said: “Your moral support has given the president’s family the courage to go through this huge ordeal and help it to transcend these indescribable moments of pain.”
The police chief said on Tuesday that in addition to the newly arrested, seven senior police officers, including presidential security personnel, had been quarantined earlier, although they were not officially considered suspects.
He said that 18 Colombians, 5 Haitians and 3 Haitian Americans have been arrested.
© 2021 Canadian Press
