Four US nationals convicted in connection with Haitian presidents murder

Four individuals have been convicted in connection with the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages were found guilty on Friday of conspiring to kill or kidnap Moise. They were also charged with providing material support for the plot in violation of US law.

According to prosecutors, southern Florida served as a central hub for planning and funding Moise’s assassination. The trial began nearly two months ago, during which time the defendants’ defence argued that they were scapegoats involved in a plan to serve Moise an arrest warrant due to a dispute over his term. They claimed that Colombian mercenaries were meant to accompany Haitian police to execute the warrant, but that Moise was killed by his own security forces before they arrived.

Prosecutors countered that the men initially sought to remove and replace Moise, with the plan eventually escalating to assassination. A fifth defendant, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-born doctor who allegedly wanted to be president after Moise’s death, is set to be tried at a later date due to health issues.

Eight other individuals have accepted plea deals as part of the US investigation. No national elections have been held in Haiti since Moise’s assassination, although a provisional council was appointed in September 2024 to organize new polls. The UN has stated that a stable government is essential for restoring order in Haiti, which has faced natural disasters and rising violence.

Source: Al Jazeera