Haiti’s anti-corruption unit demands asset declarations from former CPT members

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) has formally ordered former senior public officials—including the nine members of the now-defunct Transitional Presidential Council (CPT)—to declare their assets within 30 days of leaving office, as required by law.

The reminder, issued Feb. 9, follows the official end of the council’s mandate and activates a mandatory disclosure rule under Haiti’s 2008 asset transparency law. 

The council governed Haiti from April 2024 to February 2026, with a mandate to restore security and organize elections amid deep political instability during a period of deep political instability.

Under the law, former officials must submit an “exit declaration” detailing their assets at the end of their term. The filing must be made with the clerk of the civil court in the official’s place of residence.

“This mandatory formality aligns with the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public affairs,” Jacques Ludwig Joseph, director general of the ULCC, said in the reminder. “Failure to comply within the prescribed time frame may result in judicial proceedings.”

What the law requires as corruption allegations cast a shadow

The ULCC officials said the requirement comes from the law of Feb. 12, 2008, that obliges certain categories of political leaders, civil servants and public officials to declare their assets both before assuming office and after leaving it.

Articles 2, 6, 7, and 14 of the law empower the ULCC to oversee compliance and, when necessary, to initiate investigations to verify whether declared assets correspond to officials’ actual holdings.

The agency said it may review declarations submitted by public officials to determine whether assets acquired during their mandate were lawfully obtained.

The reminder comes as corruption allegations continue to surround some former CPT members.

In a previous report, the ULCC urged prosecutors to pursue charges against three former presidential advisers—Smith Augustin, Louis Gérald Gilles and Emmanuel Vertilaire—over alleged extorsions and bribery at the National Bank of Credit (BNC). Investigators said the officials were accused of pressuring the bank’s director general to extract large sums of money in exchange for allowing him to remain in office.

Other allegations circulated in the media, though not substantiated by ULCC findings, have implicated additional CPT members. Leslie Voltaire was mentioned in connection with alleged misuse of public funds, while Edgar Leblanc was cited in reports suggesting he may have received money from Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé without a clear justification. Voltaire did not publicly respond, and Leblanc called on journalist Thomas Rudy Sanon to clarify the claims made against him.

During the CPT’s tenure, controversy also erupted over monthly payments of 5 million gourdes (about $40,000) allegedly received monthly by each adviser from funds earmarked for intelligence operations. Several CPT members declined to comment publicly on the matter in early 2025.

In an October 2024 report, the ULCC criticized how those funds were handled.

“The fact that Mr. Smith Augustin declared this intelligence-related amount as benefits or emoluments—despite it not constituting an expense—highlights the need for better oversight and centralized management to prevent misappropriation,” the ULCC investigators said at the time.

A decree that shields former officials from accountability 

Before leaving office, CPT members adopted a controversial decree in December 2025 reorganizing the High Court of Justice. The decree grants the court exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving senior officials, including the president, prime minister, ministers and secretaries of state.

Under the decree, only the Chamber of Deputies—by a two-thirds vote—can initiate impeachment proceedings, and ordinary courts are barred from hearing cases related to offenses committed in the exercise of official duties.

Human rights and women’s rights groups, including the National Human Rights Defense Network and Nègès Mawon, condemned the measure, warning it effectively shields former officials from prosecution.

“This decree violates the Constitution and the principle of the hierarchy of norms,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “It creates de facto judicial immunity and places former leaders beyond the reach of ordinary justice.”

With the CPT’s exit, the ULCC’s reminder has renewed debate over whether Haiti’s legal mechanisms for transparency and accountability can be enforced in practice.

Former CPT members and other senior officials have until early March to comply with the asset-declaration requirement. The ULCC says failure to comply could lead to judicial action.

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