FBI illegally questioned Moïse assassination suspects, Haitian judicial source says

PORT-AU-PRINCE —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has begun interviewing Colombian nationals detained in Haiti for their alleged role in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse — reportedly without notifying the prosecutor’s office at the Court of Appeal, which is overseeing the reopened case.

The move has raised questions inside Haiti’s legal community about under what authority the FBI is acting and whether the United States agency is now conducting a parallel inquiry into a case that has stalled for years in Haiti’s own dysfunctional justice system.

On Nov. 19, five of the 17 jailed Colombians were brought to the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), where U.S. investigators questioned them remotely. Their attorney, Natalie Dérisca, said only one — Edwin Enrique Blanquicet Rodriguez — was actually interviewed, with more sessions expected.

But a senior source inside the prosecutor’s office at the Court of Appeal told The Haitian Times the office had no prior knowledge of the FBI’s actions — and said such interrogations legally require authorization from the investigating judge now assigned to the case.

“The FBI cannot question detainees under Haitian judicial authority without an explicit request approved by the judge,” said the judicial source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Attorney Iswick Théophin, a member of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association, said the FBI’s involvement raises serious legal concerns, particularly given Haiti’s judicial protocols. With over a decade of experience in high-profile criminal cases, Théophin is currently active in advocacy efforts for the prosecution of the case of Monferrier Dorval, the constitutional expert and former bar association president who was assassinated in 2020.

“From a legal standpoint, FBI agents cannot interfere in a case being handled by the court,” he told The Haitian Times. 

“Unless they claim a U.S. nexus to the crime, I don’t know if there is no clear authority allowing them to question suspects in Haiti.”

The Haitian Times sought comment from the investigating judge but did not receive a response.

Case reopened after judge’s order annulled amid a slow process and a collapsed system

The interviews come just weeks after the Court of Appeal annulled the widely criticized order issued by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, who had charged roughly 50 individuals — including high-level political figures such as:

• Former First Lady and widow Martine Moïse
• Former Prime Minister Claude Joseph
• Former presidential adviser Renald Lubérice

The Court ordered a new phase of investigation, authorized cooperation with U.S. and Canadian investigators and expanded the inquiry to include financial transactions and cross-border communications.

Defense attorney Dérisca said some of the questioning was requested by defendants held in the United States.

More than 52 months after Moïse was gunned down at his residence in Pélerin 5, Haiti has still not held a single trial.

The case has passed through six judges, several of whom withdrew citing threats or lack of resources — reflecting Haiti’s paralyzed judiciary as gangs tighten their grip on the capital.

More than 40 suspects remain jailed in Haiti, including 17 former Colombian soldiers, Haitian-Americans, and members of Moïse’s own security apparatus. Several suspects in the U.S. have already pleaded guilty in Miami federal court, leading some Haitians to question whether Washington’s parallel prosecutions are overshadowing Haiti’s stalled judicial process.

‘The pain remains’: Martine Moïse renews accusations

On Nov. 7, marking 52 months since the killing, Moïse’s widow again accused “criminal oligarchs and politicians” of orchestrating the assassination.

“They wanted me there so they could assassinate me,” she wrote on  X. “52 months later, all the pain and suffering of July 7, 2021, are still there.”

Her public statements continue to sharpen political tensions and cast doubt over whether Haiti’s justice system — weakened by years of instability, gang attacks, and mass prison breaks — can ever deliver accountability.

Where the case stands now, key suspects remain missing or unaccounted for

With the Court of Appeals restarting the investigation, the legal process in Haiti is officially active again — but observers say that without functioning courts, secure detention facilities, or uninterrupted judicial procedures, progress remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, the FBI’s involvement, carried out without notification to Haitian authorities, signals growing international impatience and an increasingly opaque role for foreign investigators, even as Haitians continue to demand justice for their slain president.

Haiti’s judicial process remains stalled, fragmented and weakened by institutional collapse. The Court of Appeal’s recent decision to reopen the case marks the sixth time a new judge has been assigned since 2021, but major obstacles persist.

Several individuals indicted in the assassination plot remain at large, highlighting the Haitian state’s inability to enforce its own warrants.

• Dimitri Hérard, former head of the General Security Unit of the National Palace (USGPN), escaped during the February 2024 mass prison break at the National Penitentiary and has not been recaptured. Hérard is accused of playing a central role by facilitating the mercenaries’ entry into Haiti.
• Former Supreme Court judge Wendelle Coq Thélot, also named in Judge Voltaire’s order for her alleged involvement, died before investigators were able to question her, eliminating a key avenue of inquiry.

Their absence underscores a justice system so weakened by gang control, prison breaks, and institutional penetration that even high-profile suspects simply disappear.

U.S. prosecutions outpace Haiti’s stalled process

While Haiti has yet to hold a single trial, the U.S. Department of Justice has already secured six convictions related to the assassination, all through guilty pleas or swift federal trials:

• Rodolphe Jaar — Haitian-Chilean businessman, life sentence.
  
• John Joël Joseph — former Haitian senator, life sentence.
  
• Germán Rivera — retired Colombian captain, life sentence.
• Joseph Vincent — Haitian American and former DEA informant, life sentence.
  
• Mario Palacios — Colombian ex-soldier, life sentence.
• Frederick Bergmann — U.S. citizen, 9 years.

Their charges include conspiracy to commit murder, providing weapons and logistics, and participating directly in the operation.

The speed and decisiveness of U.S. prosecutions contrast sharply with Haiti’s paralyzed judiciary, eroding public confidence that Haitian courts will ever bring domestic actors — including political figures — to justice.

Five more defendants await trial in Miami.

Five additional defendants remain in U.S. federal custody, including:

• Antonio Intriago, head of Miami-based CTU Security firm.
• Walter Veintemilla, financier linked to the operation.
• Arcangel Pretel, CTU Security associate.
• Manuel Grosso, Colombian ex-soldier.
• Francisco González, CTU Security affiliate.

Their trial was postponed from September 2025 to March 2026 after the defense requested more time to review extensive evidence, including financial records, encrypted messages, and communications with Haitian elites.

As the United States moves forward on its own track — focusing on conspirators with U.S. ties — Haiti’s investigation remains mired in delays, missing suspects, political interference, and judicial insecurity. The contrast has fueled public frustration, particularly among Moïse’s family and supporters, who insist that the masterminds “in Haiti’s political and economic elite” have yet to face scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the FBI’s recent questioning of Colombian detainees in Haiti — carried out without notification to the prosecutor — has raised new questions about whether the U.S. is operating a parallel investigation, and whether Haitian authorities retain any real control over the case.

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