Head of presidential security Paraison replaces Normil Rameau as Haiti police chief

PORT-AU-PRINCE —  Inspector General André Jonas Vladimir Paraison was appointed interim director general of the Haitian National Police (PNH) on Aug. 8, replacing Normil Rameau after just over a year in the post. The decision, announced during a Council of Ministers meeting and formalized at a ceremony at the Villa d’Accueil, is the first major action by the newly installed president of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), Laurent Saint-Cyr.

Paraison, who most recently served as the head of security at the National Palace, has decades of policing experience and was on duty during the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse. Legal issues and scandals have also overshadowed his career. 

In November 2018, Saint-Marc investigating judge Dieunel Luméran issued an arrest warrant accusing him of involvement in a September 2016 arms trafficking case, but the charges never resulted in prosecution.

The indictment filed against Paraison and other high-level officials, including former PNH director general Godson Orélus and former Minister of the Interior Réginald Delva, alleged their involvement in arms trafficking, forgery, money laundering and conspiracy. However, in May 2019, the Court of Appeal of Gonaïves ordered the charges to be dropped due to a lack of solid and consistent evidence, citing abuse of power and misapplication of related Haiti Penal Code articles. 

In his first speech as police chief, Paraison vowed to intensify operations against gangs, pledging arrests “while respecting the law and human dignity.” He cited urgent needs for more personnel, field-adapted training, stronger intelligence operations and better logistics.

“We will arrest them and bring them to justice, while respecting the law and human dignity,” Paraison said forcefully. 

“I feel ready to contribute to the fight against insecurity in my country. Today, I’m in a position to relentlessly attack this scourge, with the support of the government and the Presidential Transitional Council,” the new police chief said. “We won’t sleep so that the people can sleep well, so that schools can reopen and children can receive the bread of education.”

Normil Rameau leaves PNH leadership with a heavy toll

Rameau’s second tenure as PNH chief — following his 2019–2020 term under then President Jovenel Moïse — ended under similar criticism for failing to rein in gang violence. Since his June 2024 appointment by the CPT, gangs have tightened control over more than 90% of Port-au-Prince, as well as several provincial towns. The violence has displaced 1.3 million people, forced more than 40 medical centers to shut down and left at least 33 officers dead. Eighteen police stations have been destroyed.

The outgoing police chief often cited chronic underfunding as a key obstacle, noting that the Ministry of Economy and Finance released only about 65% of the police’s requested operational budget, with no funds disbursed by mid-July.

According to a PNH report, a budget of 272,323,800 gourdes, approximately $2.1 million, was submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), but only 177,130,000 gourdes—less than $1.4 million—had been approved as of July 18, 2025, with no checks issued yet, leaving the funds pending disbursement.

This budget shortfall affected several communes in the West department that are under heavy gang pressure, including Kenscoff, Torcel, Pernier, and Gressier. The Artibonite region, where four police officers were recently killed, and Mirebalais in the Centre Department also faced underfunding.

As for Paraison, he takes over as Haiti faces deep insecurity, the deployment of an ineffective Kenya-led multinational police mission and mounting pressure to hold elections by Feb. 7, 2026. Saint-Cyr, representing the private sector in the CPT, said the time for “fine speeches” is over.

“Too much blood has been shed and too much time lost,” Saint-Cyr said in his inaugural speech. “We must restore security, revive the economy, and walk together toward stability and development.”

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