26899: Lemieux: Colourful Network: Haiti has dismissed five Supreme Court judges (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JD Lemieux <lxhaiti@yahoo.com>

Haiti dismisses five Supreme Court Judges
Category: caribbean Dated: 14/12/2005
Haiti has dismissed five Supreme Court judges in
a move which highlights the remaining struggle
for power in the country before elections next
month.

Christine Eke : Email Christine
Copyright © The Colourful Network


Christine Eke

Haiti has dismissed five Supreme Court judges in
a move which highlights the remaining struggle
for power in the country before elections next
month.

The interim government, which came into place
when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted as
president in February 2004, say they are
following a decree which states that judges may
be retired at the age of 60.

Provisional president Boniface Alexandre, who
will run for president made the decision with his
cabinet on Wednesday to allow the judiciary
institution to progress.

Five new replacements have now been appointed.
Michel Brunache, chief of staff said: ?This is a
purely administrative measure, to improve the
efficiency of the court.?

But political experts have pointed that the
implementation was made just after the Supreme
Court requested for the second time that the
Haitian-American business-man Dumarsais Simeus?s
name to be added in the list of candidates for
the presidential elections.

He was previously rejected because of his dual
nationality, which meant that when his name was
put forward again, coincidentally by two of the
five retired judges, it caused different
reactions.

Haitian observers have called the situation a
sign of further political instability.




Simeus is an election favourite


As for the election forerunners, Simeus was
confirmed as the Haitians second choice for the
presidency, by the first electoral poll published
on Friday, behind the leader Rene Preval.

Simeus is the son of rice farmers. He left at the
age of 21 for the U.S. where he made his fortune
as the owner of Simeus Foods in Texas.

His lawyer, Guerdy Lissade has critised the
retirement of judges saying it causes lawyers to
reconsider practicing their profession in Haiti.

He points out that ?article 177 does not allow
the dismissal of the judges and the retirement of
Judge of the Supreme Court can be made only at
his own request.?

A separate poll by Gallup carried out from the
1st to 10th November 2005, put voting intentions
for Simeus at 25%, Rene Preval with 32% and
Leslie Francois Manigat in third position with 5%.

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