28233: (news) Chamberlain: Haiti-Corruption (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

   By STEVENSON JACOBS

   PORT-AU-PRINCE, April 10 (AP) -- Haiti's interim leader announced a
probe into the finances of all government agencies amid allegations of
corruption by state officials in the aftermath of a bloody revolt that
toppled the previous government.
   The audit will be conducted by Haiti's High Court of Accounts and
Administrative Disputes and will cover the two-year administration of the
U.S-backed interim government, interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue's
office said in a statement released Monday evening.
   Jean-Junior Joseph, Latortue's communication director, said all
government ministers and their aides have been ordered to cooperate with
the probe, which comes amid growing reports of corruption and mismanagement
by interim officials and courts.
   Last month, several judges were placed under investigation for allegedly
accepting thousands of dollars in bribes to grant bail to a group of jailed
kidnapping suspects, Joseph said. The judges have been suspended pending a
review of their case.
   "Based on the rumors of corruption, the prime minister took this step to
... unveil suspicions of corruption," Joseph said of the audit. "Any
government official who signs checks will be audited, including the prime
minister himself."
   The interim government was appointed in March 2004 to replace President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who fled the country amid a three-week revolt in
February 2004.
   Rene Preval, a former president and one-time Aristide ally, won Feb. 7
presidential elections and is due to take power next month.
   It's unclear when the audit will be completed, but a full review could
take months or longer. Investigators probing corruption during Aristide's
rule have yet to make public their findings.
   Latortue's government had alleged that tens of millions of dollars in
state funds disappeared under Aristide, who is living in exile in South
Africa. Aristide has denied stealing state funds.