8970: Haitian Officer awaits ruling (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Haitian officer awaits ruling
By Mark Fineman
Los Angeles Times

August 27, 2001

MIAMI · A magistrate in Haiti has freed one of the island nation's most 
respected police officials from jail and will rule today whether to drop all 
charges of coup-plotting and murder against former chief investigator Mario 
Andresol.

The deputy commissioner, 40, considered a Haitian-style Frank Serpico by 
U.S. officials who trained the Haitian National Police force, left for home 
in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Saturday. That was almost three weeks 
after a lower-court judge had ruled his arrest "illegal and arbitrary" and 
ordered his immediate release.

Diplomatic observers in Haiti say the case underscores the sorry state of 
the 3,000-member police force. It was created by the U.S. Justice Department 
with more than $50 million in U.S. funds after Haitian President 
Jean-Bertrand Aristide disbanded the country's brutal army.

Those observers say that Aristide, who was returned to power in 1994 by a 
U.S. intervention against the military dictatorship that overthrew him, has 
been politicizing the police. Observers and Haitian police sources say 
independent-minded police officials such as Andresol have been replaced in 
key positions by loyalists from Aristide's Lavalas Family party since the 
former Roman Catholic priest was elected to a second term in November.

Andresol and his attorney, Osner Fevry, both declined to comment Sunday, 
citing an agreement not to speak publicly until Magistrate Josias Agnant 
rules today.


Copyright © 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel


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