BNC’s chairman is summoned for defamation in Haiti’s CPT corruption allegations

Editor’s Notes: This is a developing story. It will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — The corruption saga involving three members of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) and the chairman of the board of directors of Haiti’s National Credit Bank  (BNC) continues to escalate. On July 30, Councilor Smith Augustin summoned Raoul Pascal Pierre-Louis, BNC’s board chairman, giving him 24 hours to retract the allegations or face prosecution.

Alongside two other members of the CPT, Louis Gérald Gilles and Emmanuel Vertilaire, Smith Augustin, a former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, has been accused by Pascal Raoul Pierre-Louis of demanding a 100 million gourdes (approximately $758,000 USD) bribe to retain his position at the BNC. Councilor Augustin has firmly denied these allegations, which he said aim to undermine his personality and honor.

“It would be too easy to accuse people without proof. This won’t happen,” Augustin said during an interview on Radio Métropole. “There are actors in society who swear to eliminate the presidential council.”

The allegations have stirred tensions between the involved parties. Augustin decided not to wait for hearings or a report from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), which has announced an investigation into the matter. Instead, through his lawyer, the councilor summoned Pierre-Louis and the BNC’s board of directors to the Port-au-Prince court of first instance.

“It would be too easy to accuse people without proof. This won’t happen. There are actors in the society who swear to eliminate the presidential council.”

Smith Augustin, Member of  Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council

“Raoul Pascal Pierre-Louis has until this Thursday [August 1] to withdraw all his remarks and the baseless complaint he filed with the ULCC,” Augustin’s court filing reads. “If they do not comply with this summons within the allotted time, legal actions will be taken against them before the criminal courts, where they risk receiving a criminal penalty and orders for damages.”

According to the court filing, the office of the presidential councilor demanded Pierre-Louis to “use spoken, written, and television press as well as all social networks to apologize immediately or else he would face prosecution for defamation.” However, the window given to the BNC chairman to retract the accusations has expired for more than 48 hours without further actions yet. Pierre-Louis has not reacted publicly since Augustin’s court filing.

Smith Augustin’s Stance

As a representative of the RED/EDE Compromis Historique political coalition within the CPT, Augustin has refuted calls for his resignation. He described the accusations made by the BNC chairman as defamatory and unfounded. Like former senator Jean-Charles Moïse, Augustin believes the allegations aim to tarnish the reputation of the CPT.

On Wednesday, during an appearance on the show “Le rendez-vous avec Assad Volcy,” Augustin admitted that he had met with Pierre-Louis. Apparently, Pierre-Louis’ term renewal at the bank was discussed during that meeting. However, Augustin denied that any discussion about a bribe took place. “As a candidate for the board of directors of the BNC, your application must be studied,” he said.

Corruption allegations are a common practice in Haiti, particularly in politics. However, most cases often become the subject of infinite investigations or stall once assigned to an investigator without a transparent conclusion.

This time, some observers think the situation seems poised to become a long-running saga with multiple twists. However, they said Pierre-Louis would need to substantiate his allegations or, conversely, present public apologies to the CPT members.

Where there is smoke, there is fire, Haitians often say

Pascal Raoul Pierre-Louis reported receiving various threats from the three CPT members. In response, Judge Fritz Véus went to the bank branch in the city to collect relevant information from Pierre-Louis.

After meeting with Pierre-Louis, the judge published a report showing WhatsApp messages exchanged between Councilor Louis Gérald Gilles and the BNC chairman from May 25 to July 18. While the messages do not provide clear evidence of bribery or extortion, they suggest something suspicious was going on, with Gilles asking for favors from Pierre-Louis, notably the release of a block on one of his bank accounts. The messages do not reveal any exchange between Pierre-Louis and the other two presidential councilors allegedly involved in the scandal.

The unfolding events suggest a complex and potentially explosive situation that could have far-reaching implications for the political landscape in Haiti.

During his intervention, Augustin described what he suspected to be “ulterior motives at play” against the accused councilors. He noted that the letter sent on July 24 by Pierre-Louis to Prime Minister Garry Conille was a replacement for another letter sent one day earlier.

For Augustin, it is important to know the content of that first letter, which has not been made public. “This letter replaces the one sent yesterday with acknowledgment of receipt No. 03495,” he added, suggesting that the July 24th letter may have been a remake of the July 23rd one to include fabricated allegations of bribery against them.

Meanwhile, the situation remains tense, with accusations and counter-accusations flying and the potential for significant political fallout and consquenses.

The post BNC’s chairman is summoned for defamation in Haiti’s CPT corruption allegations appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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BNC’s chairman is summoned for defamation in Haiti’s CPT corruption allegations was first posted on August 3, 2024 at 10:14 am.