Ex-Haitian PM Claude Joseph rejects indictment in Moïse assassination before court of appeal

PORT-AU-PRINCE — After three hearings before Haiti’s Court of Appeal in Port-au-Prince, Former Prime Minister Claude Joseph rejected his indictment in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. He called the charges brought against him by investigating judge Walter Wesser Voltaire politically motivated and legally flawed during the final hearing on June 30.

“This is a shameful, unjust and flawed order, designed to reward the assassins and my political opponents,” Joseph told the court. “The Court must investigate those who benefited from the assassination of the head of state [ President Jovenel Moïse].”

The indictment, issued by Judge Voltaire in early 2024, names 51 people, including Joseph, Moïse’s widow Martine and former police chief Léon Charles. Joseph is accused of complicity in the assassination and criminal conspiracy, based in part on his swift assumption of leadership after Moïse’s death—an interpretation the ex-prime minister fiercely contested.

Along with Joseph, who appeared before the judge panel on June 25, 27 and 30, the Court of Appeal also heard from the 17 Colombian mercenaries and the main suspect, Joseph Félix Badio—all of whom are in custody.

President Moïse was killed on July 7, 2021, at his Port-au-Prince suburb residence by a commando made up of former Colombian soldiers, Haitian Americans and local figures. U.S. federal courts have so far convicted four men, including Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar, ex-Haitian Senator John Joël Joseph, former Colombian military officer Germán Alejandro Rivera García and Haitian American and former DEA informant Joseph Vincent, who pleaded guilty to roles in the plot. Several more suspects in U.S. custody are awaiting trial. 

Joseph has used his appeal hearings to distance himself from the other accused, shedding tears and portraying himself as Moïse’s most loyal ally.

“I’m not one of those whose contract the president had terminated,” Joseph said, directly accusing Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other powerful figures of complicity. He claimed Henry obstructed justice, alleging he required arrest warrants to be routed through him before approval.

The widow of the assassinated president, former First Lady Martine Moïse, was also indicted. However, she declined to attend her hearing, citing security and health concerns from the U.S., where she currently resides. Her request to testify via videoconference was denied. Prosecutors criticized her absence as obstruction.

The hearings follow appeals from several defendants who challenged the judge’s order, citing procedural issues, including questioning without legal counsel and documents signed without full understanding.

While Haiti’s Court of Appeal considers its final decision on whether the charges will stand, the related federal trial in the United States—originally scheduled for September 2025—has been postponed to March 2026 due to delays in the evidence-sharing process. This trial involves five defendants, including Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, James Solages, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and Emmanuel Sanon. Federal Judge Jacqueline Becerra, overseeing the case, decided to grant the defense attorneys more time to review the overwhelming volume of evidence—more than 2.5 million documents—that the U.S. government has provided.

The investigation into Moïse’s killing continues to expose divisions within Haiti’s political elite and judiciary, with many observers questioning whether justice can be fully served.

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