Human rights advocate, police chief questioned in Haiti probe into Jovenel Moïse assassination 

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian judicial authorities on Friday questioned prominent human rights advocate Pierre Espérance as part of the reopened investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, nearly five years after the killing plunged Haiti deeper into political and security turmoil.

Espérance, executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), appeared before investigating Judge Denis Cyprien in Port-au-Prince. His hearing came weeks after the acting Haitian National Police Director General, André Jonas Vladimir Paraison, was also questioned in the case.

The renewed proceedings mark the latest attempt by Haitian authorities to revive an investigation long criticized for delays, procedural irregularities and political interference.

Espérance and Paraison are among several figures questioned since the investigation was reopened following a ruling by Haiti’s Court of Appeal that overturned a previous indictment order issued by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire.

Voltaire had recommended charges against nearly 50 people, including former Prime Minister Claude Joseph, First Lady Martine Moïse and several senior officials, including police. The appeals court later annulled the ruling, citing procedural flaws, and reassigned the case to Cyprien for further investigation.

Focus on Paraison and Espérance

Paraison’s appearance drew attention because of his role on the night of the assassination. At the time, he served in the presidential security unit. He was reportedly among the first officers to assist Martine Moïse after she was wounded during the attack at the president’s private residence in Pèlerin 5 on July 7, 2021.

The attack left Moïse dead and his wife seriously injured.

Authorities have not publicly detailed the precise scope of the questioning involving either Paraison or Espérance. However, the hearings underscore the widening scope of the inquiry as investigators revisit testimony and examine potential links among political figures, police officers, business actors and other alleged conspirators.

Joseph Félix Badio, a former Justice Ministry official widely viewed as a central figure in the conspiracy, has also previously been questioned in Haiti.

Parallel proceedings in the United States

While Haiti struggles to advance its domestic investigation, U.S. federal prosecutors have secured a series of convictions tied to the assassination plot.

On May 8, a federal jury in Miami found four men — James Solages, Antonio Intriago, Arcángel Pretel Ortiz and Walter Veintemilla — guilty after a trial lasting nearly two months.

Prosecutors argued the defendants participated in a conspiracy initially presented as a mission to kidnap Moïse but that ultimately evolved into an assassination operation.

The four men were convicted on charges linked to conspiracy to murder or kidnap a foreign head of state, among other offenses. They face potential life sentences.

According to prosecutors, the plot involved recruiting former Colombian soldiers, coordinating logistics from South Florida and financing the operation through a network of business and political contacts.

Several defendants have already pleaded guilty and cooperated with U.S. authorities, including Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar and former Haitian senator John Joël Joseph.

During testimony, Joseph described Solages as a key operational figure who sidelined others during planning discussions. He also portrayed Badio as an influential organizer involved in coordinating logistics behind the scenes.

Jaar testified that he contributed more than $150,000 of the $343,000 to support the operation, including payments for housing, equipment and alleged bribes to members of the presidential security apparatus.

A delayed case in Haiti

More than 40 suspects have been arrested in Haiti since the assassination, including Colombian ex-soldiers, Haitian police officers and former government officials. Yet no trial has been held, and the case remains stalled amid chronic instability, gang violence and dysfunction within the judicial system.

The assassination of Moïse accelerated Haiti’s political collapse, contributing to a power vacuum that armed gangs later exploited to expand control across much of the country.

Meanwhile, Christian Emmanuel Sanon — the Florida-based Haitian pastor and doctor whom prosecutors say the conspirators first intended to install as president after Moïse’s removal — is expected to face a separate trial in federal court in Miami at a later date due to an undisclosed illness.

As proceedings continue in both Haiti and the United States, many Haitians are still waiting for answers about who ultimately ordered the assassination and how such a complex operation unfolded around a sitting president with little resistance from state security forces.

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