Executive

Bélizaire Case: Minister Mayard-Paul Escapes Senate Interpellation

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - With a vote of 11 yeas, 6 nays and 4 abstentions, the Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, escaped an interpellation by the Haitian senate for involvement in the arbitrary arrest of a sitting member of parliament.

Senior senators Youri Latortue (Artibonite/AAA) and Joseph Lambert (Sud-Est/Inite), whose mandates end in 2012, argued for the removal of item "f" from the "specific recommendations" of the senate commission's report, which read:

Recalling that the Chamber of Deputies, although out of session, voted 71 of 94 to not recognize the authority of the Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, some senators were dismayed that the minister would not be made liable given the information discovered by the commission.

The senate commission found that Mayard-Paul had not been forthcoming when in a November 5 senate hearing disclaimed any involvement in the arrest and/or physical assault on security agents at the airport.

Mayard-Paul had claimed to had not participated in the arrest of the member and that his presence at the airport was to see a loved one off as he produced airline tickets at the senate hearing. Mayard-Paul had also produced signed documents from airport security agents claiming that there was not an assault on their persons. The commission's report greatly differed.

The commission found that Mayard-Paul had proactively participated in the arrest of the member of parliament and personally assault a security agent at the airport.

The Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, Michel Brunache, was removed from the list of executives to interpellate as the commission found no proof of his involvement in the incident. The Chamber of Deputies may look to interpellating the minister of interior upon the return of ordinary sessions in January 2012.