14436: Anonymous Post re: Jean Dominique (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Bob: Please Post Anonymously

As reported on Signal F.M.

Government Was Involved in Dominique's Murder
Mario Andresol, former judicial police chief, 2002-12-27


Haiti Democracy Project web page item #489 (http://www.haitipolicy.org)

Former Police Division Superintendent Mario Andresol has accused figures
close to the current government of being involved in the murder of Jean
Dominique, the owner and general manager of Radio Haiti Inter.

In a report on a recorded interview with Andresol by Kenol Dorvil broadcast
by Haitian Signal Radio on 27 December, which was broadcast in full during
the Haiti Today programme on 26 December, Andresol criticized the Lavalas
government for dragging out the investigation into the case. He reiterated
his view that the 3 April 2000 murder was sponsored and carried out by
elements linked to the government and said that as long as the Lavalas
regime is in power, justice will not be possible in the Dominique case. He
described Judge Bernard Saint-Vil's investigation of the murder as
demagoguery, adding: "I repeat what I said: Under the current government in
Haiti, there will be no progress in the Dominique's case."

Andresol, who is currently in exile, also denounced recent statements by
Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide which imply that Dominique was
killed for reasons linked to electoral cards. "I repeat that none of Haiti's
current examining judges has the moral authority to hear me," he said,
before adding that the president's statements indicate that he has
explanations to give to the court about Dominique's murder. Andresol said
that when Aristide made these remarks, the examining judge should have
called on the president to explain his statements.

Andresol also denounced the corruption which he says prevails in the
government. He mentioned the millions of dollars which he seized and handed
over to the General Directorate of Taxes, DGI, adding that this money has
disappeared and "nobody has ever asked any questions". "At least they could
have done something by saying that I stole the money but they cannot even
say that, because I shall prove that they are lying," he said.

"The current member of the government who was the director-general of the
DGI at the time [reference to Interior Minister Jocelerme Privert, who was
previously DGI director-general] should provide an explanation about what
happened to that money," he went on

Returning to the subject of Dominique's death, Andresol was then asked about
Senator Dany Toussaint's alleged involvement in the murder. Andresol replied
that three examining judges have worked on this case so far and commented on
the confusion being sown in the country by the authorities.

"In 1999," he recalled, "the person you mention, that is, the senator, who
was speaking on the radio, said that if civil war occurs in the country, it
will be the responsibility of Andresol and Robert Manuel [former secretary
of state for public security under former President Rene Preval]. Why did he
say so? Because on the previous evening, the anti-narcotics police went to a
ball which was being organized by a friend of his with the purpose of
arresting somebody. The ball failed [as a result of the police
intervention]. But in his opinion, this is what will provoke the civil war."

Andresol then commented on several other cases which are not favourable to
Toussaint. He explained that in May 2002, Toussaint said on the radio that
Andresol and Rene Preval should be asked about the case of Jean Lamy, who
was murdered a few months before Dominique.

"One month later," he said, "the senator was involved in demagoguery by
[words indistinct] another putschist [as heard] in jail. The latter was
arrested for being involved in Dominique's murder. He said that I was
involved in a plot to accuse him, whereas the person he was defending [as
heard] is someone who was wanted by the police for car theft and crimes. I
do not know, but, as if by chance, the same person was involved in the
Dominique murder, because the police were then executing the orders of the
examining judge and the public prosecutor, who asked them to arrest a number
of people. That is why the first individuals who were arrested in this case
were arrested by the Judicial Police." (At the time, Andresol was the
director of the Central Management of the Judicial Police.)


k