Haiti’s Ministry of Justice dismisses top prosecutor in the southern city of Les Cayes

PORT-AU-PRINCE—-Haiti’s regional prosecutor in the southern city of Les Cayes, Ronald Richemond, was placed on leave Thursday by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) for allegedly engaging in improper conduct concerning his functions. The MJSP has appointed Deputy Prosecutor James Jean-Louis to replace Richemond at the South Department prosecutor’s office.

In a letter sent to the now-former prosecutor, Minister of Justice Carlos Hercule stated that he has decided to lay off the former government commissioner until further notice to shed light on the facts with which he is accused.

According to Minister Hercule, a commission designated to handle the complaints filed against Richemond will guarantee the investigation’s impartiality. However, the minister’s letter did not reveal the nature of the complaints, the circumstances, or the identities of the complainants or victims of Richemond’s alleged misconduct in Les Cayes’s jurisdiction during his tenure. But he has been accused by numerous advocates against impunity of obstructing an investigation into the assassination of a journalist.

Richemond has held the position of government commissioner since 2019, two years after his transfer to the city of Les Cayes. Before being transferred to Les Cayes, he was a substitute government commissioner in Mirebalais from 2014. He was seemingly respected by residents in Les Cayes’ jurisdiction until he began receiving criticism for allegedly obstructing justice in the investigation into the assassination of Haitian journalist Garry Tesse in the Foko locality of Les Cayes on October 25, 2022.

This is the first decision taken by the transition Ministry of Justice since the installation of the new government led by Prime Minister Garry Conille.

Justice Advocates Applaud the Decision

This measure taken by the minister of justice was welcomed by several human rights organizations and justice advocates, including SOS Journaliste Haiti, which had been demanding for some time the dismissal of Richemond so that he could answer questions about his alleged involvement in obstructing justice in the journalist’s assassination case.

“This government’s stance bodes well for justice, democracy, and the rule of law in Haiti,” said SOS Journaliste Haiti in a press release shared on WhatsApp. The group urges the authorities to prevent the former Les Cayes prosecutor from leaving the country, as he needs to face justice.

SOS Journaliste recalls that Richemond, while being a prosecutor, had fabricated two false orders with falsified signatures of the investigating judge Robert Jourdain to order the release of people detained as part of the investigation into Tesse’s assassination.

According to the organization, one of the people involved is the prosecutor’s relative, Wilkens Thirogène, alleged to be the material author of the crime.

The defenders of journalist protection have demanded that the transition government provide the necessary means to the investigating judge Jean Michelet Séide so that he can find the journalist’s assassins and bring them to trial.

Ahead of the announcement of Richemond’s dismissal by the MJSP, the head of the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC), Renan Hédouville, had also called on the judicial authorities to look into the allegations of misconduct against the former prosecutor in connection with the assassination of journalist Tesse.

In a press release, Hédouville called on the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN), including the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, to request explanations from the judicial authorities concerning numerous cases of assassinations and attacks against Haitians, notably the assassination of Tesse and the attack on journalist Jean Marc Jean, who lost an eye after being hit with a tear gas canister launched by Haitian National Police (PNH) officers during a protest in February against former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Other voices, especially on social platforms, have also been raised, even demanding the arrest of the former prosecutor. For some, this decision signals the goodwill of the new government, whose mission is also to put the Haitian judicial system back on its feet and allow it to resume its proper functioning.

The Haitian judicial system faces several crises, notably those characterized by workers’ strike movements. Workers’ unions such as the Association Nationale des Greffiers d’Haïti (ANAGH) and the Collectif des Magistrats Debout d’Haïti (COMADH) have recently called on their peers to go on strike to demand better working conditions, salary increases, and equity within the judicial system.

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