Presidential

Haiti: New Allegations of Corruption in the Haitian Presidency

NEW YORK, USA (defend.ht) – President Michel Martelly, his family and friends have made unprecedented withdrawals of money from Haiti’s Central Bank, that houses the accounts of the National Treasury, according to statements made by Senator Moïse Jean Charles (Nord/Inite).

The senator spoke in mid-December 2011 of being shocked that:

Jean-Charles, a Senator of the Republic of Haiti, alleged of this spending, while in Brooklyn, New York for New Year’s festivities. His statements were published in the January 4 edition of the Haitian weekly, Haïti Liberté

Family, Friends Involvement

The Governor of the Central Bank, Charles Castel, says the senator, bought sixty (60) Toyota Prado SUVs “not for state officials, but for his children, his wife, and for people living with him.”

Senator Jean-Charles pointed to conflicts of interests where an interior decorating company, ‘close’ to the First Lady Sophia Martelly, would have billed government ministries for decorating their offices with unsolicited Christmas decorations.

The father of the First Lady, Charles Saint-Remy, was able ”to go to the Central Bank and withdraw $30 million [US] on the basis that he would buy fertilizer for farmers” in the Artibonite Valley, said the senator, who asked ”where is the fertilizer? It is true that farmers of the department had complained for not having received any fertilizer.

It was not until late December, during the President’s “Christmas Solidarity” program of toys and money giveaways, that farmers received fertilizer. And even in this case, an agreement was signed between the Haitian Government and Japan on December 20th that granted Haitian farmers 6,000 tons of fertilizer.

Jean-Charles questions one of the president’s sons who would have withdrawn $1.5 million [US] from the Central Bank to host a ”Presidency Cup” in December. ”Does he have the right to do that?”, the senator rhetorically asked Haïti Liberté.

Lastly, Senator Jean-Charles referred to a $1.9 billion reserve (DH has reported in the past that this account would hold $1.5 billion) in U.S. currency, left behind by the former President René Préval. Jean-Charles says the money should be in circulation as in the beginning of December 2011, the nation had suffered a dramatic shortage in U.S. currency.

Haïti Liberté says it has contacted the National Palace for a response but the request has not been honored.