7199: Re: Gladys Lauture (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Dear Mr. Corbett,

I would request that my e-mail, if you choose to post
it, be anonymous as well.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As a long time supporter of Lavalas, it is painful for
me to acknowledge the veracity of the previous post
regarding Gladys Lauture.

Ms. Davis in 7182 seems to believe that there is an
element of myth regarding Lauture,  or that this lady
does not exist. I can assure you that Gladys Lauture
is alive and well and is thriving in Haiti!

I have never quite understood why President Aristide
and his close allies would allow Lauture to penetrate
the Lavalas movement as much as she did. After all,
she was a "confidante"  of Michelle B. Duvalier and
performed the same tasks for them that she is
currently peforming for the President (only now she is
MUCH richer doing it!)

The previous poster already provided a quite accurate
(but incomplete) CV of Ms. Lauture. Let me fill in
some blanks:

1. Ms. Lauture has managed to be involved in some of
the juiciest "deals" that have marked Aristide II
(after the return) and Preval's tenures. The most
unethical deal she managed was the purchase by Teleco
of Alcatel equipment. Her partner in the deal was
Gilbert Bigio, who is the Alcatel representative in
Haiti. (Yes! You read right! It is the same Bigio who
was one of the financiers of the coup against
Aristide). She went to Paris herself as the middle
person to ink the deal. Price: between $8 and $10
million. Her cut? 10%. Mind you, Lauture knows next to
0 in telecom. Furthermore, the Puchasing Department of
Teleco was completely bypassed in the process, and
there was no bidding process. 

2. She has been making introductions of
less-than-savory characters from the Haitian
bourgeoisie to the President, who unaware of their
background, has received and even embraced some of
them. AND SHE CHARGES FOR THE INTRODUCTION! (Going
price is about $10,000 per intro.) The fact that
Lauture has managed to win the support and trust of
Aristide's in-laws (Mr. and Mrs. Trouillot) clearly
makes her a powerful insider. One must wonder to what
extent Aristide's in-laws are involved in these
introductions since they belong to those same social
circles.

3. She has been a "godmother" to several key people of
the Preval administration, particularly a number of
"Directeur Generaux." DG's, as they are called, are a
rank under ministers and are the ones who run the
government on a day-to-day basis. They are also the
ones who approve or recommend transactions for their
particular ministries. I can provide a list on request
of her "godchildren". I did not want to bore the
Corbetters who are marginally exposed to this cesspool
with what may be meaningless info to them.

4. Lauture has become a "de facto" administrator of
the National Palace and has handled many of the major
purchases herself (or through cronies.) She is the
real power behind Jacques Debrosse, who is officially
the administrator of the National Palace. This
explains why she managed to control the February 7,
2001 events even though she was not mandated
officially to do so. That explains also why Yannick
Kernisant, the former private secretary of Roger
Lafontant no less, and a good friend of Gladys, was a
"volunteer" organizer at the National Palace on that
day. Incredible!

Now, two corrections to the previous post are in
order:

1. The cost to the Haitian government of the
silverware was actually $569,000, not $500,000. This
information is courtesy of the crony Gladys sent
abroad to finalize the deal (she got a bit tipsy on
the flight to Miami ... probably counting the bucks
she was going to make.) Real cost of the silverware:
reportedly less than $100,000. You figure the profit.

NOTE: Actually, never mind the profit. What is the
government of one of the poorest countries on Earth
thinking when it authorizes the purchase of %500K+ of
silverware just for an inuaguration when the majority
of the population is suffering from malnutrition?

2. Although there is a tendency to accuse Gladys of
eveything, I don't believe she was involved in the
purchase of the Gerard Moscoso "mansion"  for $1.2
million by the Haitian government to house former
president Preval. This deal has the imprint of the
former Finance Minister Fred Joseph, who is another
sad story unto himself. Real appraised value of the
house: a shade under $700,000. You figure the "profit"
and who received it.

NOTE: Moscoso, Chairman of the Board of Sogebank, was
one of the key financial backers of the coup. His name
figures prominently on that famous list of supporters
of the coup, if I am not mistaken, along with Bigio
listed above. Thanks to some family connections, he
has been able to get in the good graces of Aristide.
How lucky!

Needless to say, those in the know still cannot
understand why Lauture is given so much power when she
has contributed exactly 0 to the country as an advisor
(or whatever the hell she is) to Aristide.

The question that no one has been able to answer is,
why would Aristide allow such an individual around him
for so long?

Is it because of a sentiment of gratitude for her
"devotion" during the tough times? Because she hid
him, housed him, fed him, and protected him when he
was being persecuted by the military before he became
president? Because she extended the same courtesy to
Rene Preval by housing him free of charge at the
complex she owns in Bourdon?

Is it because he believed that she would be able to
deliver the bourgeoisie that hated (and still hates)
him to Lavalas, thereby allowing Lavalas to claim all
sectors of Haitian society?

Or is it because she is a front for him? Because she
makes those shady deals that never make the front page
of Le Nouvelliste or Le Matin on his behalf?

The silverware deal is just the tip of the iceberg. 

For those of you close to the Aristide camp, please
let the President know that, for his sake and that of
his very young second presidency, it is time for her
to go. Should the Haitian people find out the extent
of her corrupt behavior, you don't want to be
explaining to them why this person was allowed to roam
for so long in the corridors of power. And in this new
era of openness and vigilance by the REAL people, it
is only a matter of time before they find out what
really happened ...