22445: (Craig) UN Wire: Ousted Haitian Leader Accused Of Corruption, Drug Trafficking (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dan Craig <hoosier@att.net>

Ousted Haitian Leader Accused Of Corruption, Drug Trafficking
Monday, June 21, 2004

Haiti's interim Justice Department is investigating allegations that
former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide engaged in drug trafficking,
money laundering, misuse of public funds and expropriation, the Los
Angeles Times
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-haitiprobe19jun19,1,466018.story?coll=la-home-world> reported
Saturday.

"We are investigating these misdeeds, and if we have evidence of his
wrongdoing, we will seek to extradite him," said interim Justice
Minister Bernard Gousse.

Haiti has no extradition treaty with South Africa, which is hosting the
ousted leader.

Miami-based lawyer Ira Kursban, who represents Aristide, rejected such
accusations as "totally false and politically motivated."

U.S. and Haitian investigators are reviewing financial records of senior
members of Aristide's government and Lavalas Party.  Much of the
alleged misconduct is linked to the Aristide Foundation, funded by the
Haitian government and international benefactors, which oversaw costly
projects that did not benefit the Haitian people, such as a medical
university that was built but never opened.

Authorities say Aristide expropriated hundreds of millions of dollars
but that the paper trail disappeared in the last days of his rule.

Aristide is also accused of overseeing the state-sponsored trafficking
of Colombian cocaine to the United States.  Haitian police have
reportedly confirmed that his government would close off a road near the
capital to allow planes from Colombia to unload their cargo far from
prying eyes and with state protection.  People who delivered the drugs
to the United States in speedboats are reportedly willing to testify
against Aristide (Carol Williams, Los Angeles Times, June 19).

Aristide still has support in his country, however.  On Friday more than
5,000 Aristide backers marched through the capital Port-au-Prince,
calling for his return and saying the United States had forced his
departure.

Aristide has accused the U.S. government of sending agents to kidnap him
on Feb. 29, the day he left the country for the Central African Republic
(Amy Bracken, Associated Press
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&ncid=734&e=3&u=/ap/20040618/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/haiti_march>/Yahoo!
News, June 18).

U.N. Team Completes Electoral Mission To Haiti

A U.N. electoral team late last week ended a 10-day mission to Haiti,
where team leader Nguyen Dong held talks with representatives of the
Haitian government, political parties and civil society as well as those
from the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community and
the Haitian diplomatic community.  The Provisional Electoral Council,
the body charged with organizing elections next year, played a key role
in the talks.

"All interlocutors unanimously emphasized the need to hold presidential
elections in accordance with the constitutional timeline," Nguyen said,
adding that the United Nations would provide technical assistance and
coordinate bilateral help to ensure "an effective and streamlined
electoral process" (U.N. release
<http://www.un.org/apps/news/printnews.asp?nid=11091>, June 18).

http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040621/449_25057.asp