29922: Potemaksonje (News) AHP News - January 23, 2007 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: potemaksonje@yahoo.com



AHP News - January 23, 2007 - English translation (Unofficial)

http://www.ahphaiti.org/





Initial findings of an inventory of losses from the burglary at the office of 
the Port-au-Prince prosecutor suggest many items of evidence are missing


Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- Preliminary data from an inventory 
examining losses from the January 6th burglary at the office of the prosecutor 
of Port-au-Prince indicates that many pieces of evidence, including more than 
100 prisoner files, were stolen, AHP has learned from a source close to the 
prosecutor's office.

The United Nations Police (UNPOL) is said to be conducting a parallel judicial 
investigation into the same incident.

"The prosecutors have appealed to UNPOL in hopes of ensuring that the 
investigation will be independent, in light of the allegations against police 
officers", said the same source.

 UNPOL spokesperson Fred Blaise said however that he has not been officially 
informed of possible investigations conducted by a UN team at the prosecutor's 
office.

According to Mr. Blaise, it is instead the Haitian police who are investigating 
what happened at the prosecutor's office.

" UNPOL is however available to furnish assistance to officials at the 
prosecutor's office", said Mr. Blaise.

The burglary at the Port-au-Prince prosecutor's office provoked a serious 
disagreement between government prosecutor Claudy Gassant and the Minister of 
Justice after the Minister visited the law courts where he cast doubt on the 
version of events offered by Mr. Gassant. The Minister affirmed that no crime 
had been documented.

Mr. Gassant said that the Minister's position was a repudiation of the 
prosecutor as well as the justice system, and the prosecutor announced last 
week that he is temporarily taking leave of his institution until the 
investigation announced by the Minister "to determine what really happened" is 
completed.
AHP January 23, 2007  2:30 PM


SOS Journalists Haiti appeals to the authorities to shed light on the murder of 
a journalist/photographer in  Port-au-Prince


Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- SOS Journalists Haiti issued a 
statement Tuesday condemning the murder on Friday, January 19, of 
photojournalist Jean Rémy Badiau in Cité Jean 23 (Martissant, south of the 
capital).

The freelance journalist was shot dead at approximately 4 o'clock in the 
afternoon.

According to his family, he was the object of death threats from members of the 
criminal gang known as "Lame Timanchèt" (the army of small machetes).

Jean-Rémy Badiau, age 45, was particularly targeted after he took photographs 
of members of gangs clashing in the Martissant area. He was killed in front of 
his home in that same district.

SOS Journalists appealed to the appropriate authorities, especially the Justice 
Minister, the chief of police and the government prosecutor to take the 
necessary steps to determine the circumstances of this killing and prosecute 
the perpetrators.

Young people in the populist district of Martissant on Monday again denounced 
the climate of terror that has set in here since August 2004 when more than 10 
people were killed as they watched a soccer game "sponsored" by USAID.

These youths said that between December 3, 2006 and today at least 30 people 
have been killed and another 50 injured.

Residents of  Martissant accused "Lame Timanchèt" of responsibility for almost 
all of the crimes committed in this area.

According to sources close to the former interior government, Lame Ti Manchèt 
was formed in 2004 to eliminate individuals believed to be hostile to the de 
facto authorities in populist districts of Port-au-Prince such as Bel-Air, 
Fort National,  Martissant and others.

Members of this gang, including police officers and "attachés" (armed 
auxiliaries to the police) , arrested following the massacre of August 2004 
were set free before the new government took office.

Youths in Martissant said they are ready to collaborate with the police if the 
force truly demonstrates that its goal is to re-establish peace in this area.

"The national police and MINUSTAH should know the bandits because most of them 
are individuals who were incarcerated in connection with the massacre of 
Grand-ravine",said the youths, denouncing what they saw as a lax attitude and 
tolerance shown toward the bandits of  Lame Ti Manchèt.
AHP January 23, 2007  3:15 PM


The former administrator of the Foreign Affairs Ministry under the interim 
government of  Gérard Latortue recognizes that funds have been embezzled


Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- The Superior Court of Accounts and 
Administrative Disputes heard testimony Monday from the ex-administrator of the 
Foreign Affairs Ministry, Harold Bruno relating to the corruption scandal that 
shook the Ministry under the interim government.

Former Ministry director general  Jean Guy Marie Louis and former chief 
accountant  Reynold Lorseil also appeared before the court.

Harold Bruno acknowledged that 76 million gourdes intended for young Haitian 
scholarship recipients in Cuba and various diplomatic missions abroad were 
misappropriated.

He sought to absolve himself of responsibility, however, by declaring that he 
deposited these checks into the account of the BRH (Bank of the Republic of 
Haiti) for disbursement as intended.

The commission of auditors of the court of accounts reported that all 
accounting documents relating to the fiscal years 2004-2006 have disappeared.

Though Harold Bruno countersigned the official report indicating that these 
documents were missing, he said that the documents for fiscal years 2004-2006 
do indeed exist.

The president of the Superior Court of Accounts, Harold Elie, next ordered an 
indefinite postponement of the case while announcing the creation of a new 
commission of auditors.

Several members of Parliament have denounced what they called procrastination 
at the court of accounts.

"Once Mr.  Bruno acknowledged that funds had been misappropriated, criminal 
action should have been launched against those responsible, whoever they may 
be", said Deputy Stevenson Benoit.
AHP January 23, 2007  1:55 PM


Haiti, a country in great economic difficulty: the secretary general of the AEH 
calls on the authorities to take concrete action to redress the situation


Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- The secretary general of the 
Association of Haitian Economists, Eddy Labossière, declared Tuesday that Haiti 
is a country confronting very great difficulties, as a result of the 
considerable decrease in its economic activity.

The crisis in the agricultural sector, the free fall in production, the 
considerable decrease in the tourist sector have all contributed to a fall in 
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), he said, appealing to the principal 
authorities to take concrete action to redress the situation.

According to the AEH secretary general, Haiti has a nutritional deficit of 
about 900 million tons of calories, which explains the presence in Haiti of 
numerous nongovernmental organizations.

Eddy Labossière also pointed out that Haiti's exports in 2006 amounted to only 
6.5 million gourdes, while imports were valued at 1.7 billion gourdes. Compared 
to 2005, these figures show an increase in exports of 9% and a 19% increase in 
imports.

He also stressed Haiti's low rating in the human development index of the UNDP 
based on the short  expected  life span, the educational level and the income 
per inhabitant.

The budget of the Republic, 70% of which is financed from abroad and the level 
of national production, which over the past 15 years has fallen consistently, 
are evidence of the great difficulties facing Haiti, said Mr. Labossière.
AHP January 23, 2007  12:50 PM


The secretary general of the AEH deems the intervention of the BRH in the 
Socabank case justified but finds it absurd to negotiate with an insolvent bank


Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- AEH (Association of Haitian Economists) 
secretary general Eddy Labossière, indicated Tuesday that the action by the BRH 
(Bank of the Republic of Haiti) in the Socabank case was justified.

He praised the efforts of the BRH to help this commercial bank which was said 
to be insolvent by purchasing shares at a price of 50 gourdes.

In every country in the world, he said, nobody buys shares of a bankrupt bank 
on the open market.

According to Mr.  Labossière, 43% of the accounts at Socabank are held by 
administrators or their friends and that this bank does not practice the 
customary safeguards.

However he said he finds it absurd that the directors of the BRH agreed to sit 
down at the negotiating table with directors of a bankrupt bank rather than 
calling in justice officials to proceed in the usual manner for such cases.

Eddy Labossière also criticized the central bank for having waited for Socabank 
to become insolvent before coming to its rescue.

The central bank, acting as a type of enlightened dictator has the power to 
impose its standards on the commercial banks to prevent them from becoming 
insolvent, he explained.
AHP January 23, 2007  12:50 PM


 EDH is actively working to improve distribution of electricity, says the 
company's general manager



Port-au-Prince, January 23, 2007 (AHP)- Electricity of Haiti's general manager, 
Serge Raphaël, said Tuesday that the company is working hard to improve the 
distribution of electricity.

Work already undertaken at the power station in Péligre is already making it 
possible to supply electricity between eight and ten hours per day in the 
Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, said Mr. Raphaël.

Considerable sums have also been released by the government to purchase fuel, 
said the director of the nation's power company.

"We will do everything we can to enable the population to continue to benefit 
from a supply of electricity, Serges Raphël promised.

The EDH general manager also criticized individuals who are looting materials 
and equipment from the company.

He urged the population and the national police to collaborate in an effort to 
end this problem.

AHP January 23, 2007  12:20 PM
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