8289: Justice minister says judge has finished investigation of Dominique case (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <maxblanchet@worldnet.att.net>

Haiti: Justice minister says judge has finished investigation of Dominique
case
BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Jun 13, 2001

Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 12 June;
passages within double oblique strokes in Creole

The investigation into the murder of Jean Dominique [the owner and general
manager of Radio Haiti Inter; Dominique and the caretaker of that radio
station, Jean-Claude Louissant, were killed on 3 April 2000] has ended, the
justice minister has announced. Gary Lissade said that the examining judge
is waiting for the order to inform the public prosecutor before announcing
his ruling. The justice minister said that his ministry will take measures
to accompany the process. Lissade spoke as follows:

[Lissade] //As regards the judge, it is according to his personal
conviction, it is according to the investigation that he has made, the
people he has questioned, either as the accused or as witnesses and all the
facts that he has collected that will allow the judge to form his conviction
and to present his final ruling [French: ordonnance de cloture] as soon as
possible.//

[Unidentified journalist] //Can you say that Judge Gassant's task with this
case is now over?//

[Lissade] //No, Judge Gassant's task is not over yet. Gassant's mission
consisted of leading the investigation. When he submits the dossier to the
public prosecutor's office, that means that the investigation has ended. Now
Gassant must wait for the prosecution's closing speech, which will be made
by the public prosecutor. Then, it is from that closing speech for the
prosecution that he will prepare the final ruling. When he hands down his
ruling, then his task will be over, because then he will submit the dossier.
He will not be holding the dossier once he hands down his final ruling.//

[Unidentified journalist] [Question indistinct]

[Lissade] //I want to remind you that the role of the Justice Ministry is to
make sure that justice is well administered. Therefore, the Justice Ministry
is available, it is always willing and always decides to accompany all
officials of justice who are fulfilling a judicial task. And this is
especially so in such circumstances where it would be the nicest victory
that justice could win to see that this investigation is no more said to be
under way but that it has achieved a result. That is the role of the justice
department. We are ready to accompany it in order to help justice make
progress.//

Source: Radio Metropole, Port-au-Prince, in French 1145 gmt 12 Jun 01

/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.