12993: Gonaives leader who broke out of jail walks freely around town (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Felix Edouard <loveayiti@hotmail.com>

Copyright 2002 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Monitoring Latin America - Political
Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring


August 29, 2002, Thursday

LENGTH: 509 words

HEADLINE: Haiti: Gonaives leader who broke out of jail walks freely around
town

SOURCE: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 28 Aug 02

BODY:


Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 28 August; passages within
double oblique strokes in Creole

Two legal firms have decided to plead the cause of Gonaives OP people's
organization leader Amiot Metayer, also known as Cubain.

In a press conference yesterday, Metayer's lawyers denied all involvement of
their client in the events of 2 August in Gonaives. Jean Numa Goudou reports
as follows:

Goudou - recording He was arrested illegally on 2 July with an arrest
warrant dated 12 May and then kidnapped from prison on 2 August by a crowd
of people, so our client cannot be the subject of any legal proceedings.
That was the argument put forward by Metayer's defence lawyers. Attorney
Jacob Latortue is one of the six lawyers working on the case. Latortue I
want to say that Metayer is not an escaped prisoner, because he was in his
cell when the crowd that was outside came in with their heavy machines,
stormed the prison and took him away by force. We think that it was a
kidnapping. That is what we think.

Goudou When questioned about Metayer's present situation and whether he was
still be in the hands of his abductors, Luc B. Pierre said:

Pierre As far as I know, I cannot say that he is in the hands of his
abductors. You see what I am saying? I know that he is on the run. It is
because he is on the run that he has hired a team of lawyers to legitimize
his situation.

Unidentified journalist Question indistinct

Pierre Listen. He was kidnapped. They can kidnap somebody and leave that
person somewhere in the street. Your supporters can come and kidnap you.
They can come and snatch you away.

Goudou He is on the run, the lawyer said. But his flight does not go beyond
the Gonaives area. That is where Cubain has set up his camp. He is seen
every day going about his business without any problem. Metayer has two
other charges against him: the Jubile fire and participation in the violent
events of 17 December when an alleged coup d'etat attempt was followed by a
government crackdown and damage to the premises of opposition groups and the
houses of opposition leaders . They filed a suit against him with the office
of the examining judge in Gonaives. But the lawyers are not sure what legal
action will be taken against him at the judicial level.

Unidentified lawyer As far as I know in this case, the judge has not been in
Gonaives for some time now. Therefore, there cannot be any follow-up. That
means that they cannot try Metayer in this case, because the judge has not
submitted it to the public prosecutor, who should give a ruling which will
then authorize him to conduct a preliminary investigation.

Goudou At the moment, it is not clear if the Gonaives judicial system will
be able to carry out an investigation. There has been a month of violence by
Metayer's supporters, the Law Court was set on fire and the walls of the
prison were pulled down on 2 August, which is when Metayer was kidnapped
according to his lawyers. It is like Hollywood script.




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