Haiti’s struggling judicial system imperils president’s slaying probe

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Police have detained more than 40 suspects in the killing of President Jovenel Moïse, but many people fear Haiti’s crumbling judicial system could result in the assassination going unpunished.

Interrogations are continuing, while dozens of suspects, including an ex-Haitian senator and former justice official, are still at large. But the judicial process has already hit significant snags, among them death threats and allegations of evidence tampering.

Experts and even Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection, an ombudsmanlike government agency, warn that the country faces many challenges to properly handle such a complicated case.

“The judicial system is held hostage by certain sectors and weakened by a disciplinary body … that protects dishonest and corrupt judges but persecutes, through bogus human rights NGOs, those who are honest,” the agency said in a Sunday statement.

Brian Concannon, an adviser for the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, said he worries about “so much intentional misdirection” as the Moïse investigation moves forward.

“The big issue is are you going to have a structure that can deliver the truth?” he said. “It’s possible there are good people that are getting at the truth, but there is enough misdirection, intimidation (and) people apparently manipulating evidence. … I’m not confident that we’re getting closer to the truth with the current process.”

Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection noted that 32 high-profile killings dating from 1991 have never been resolved, including those of former government officials, lawyers, academics and journalists. It also accused corrupt judges of freeing suspects arrested by police.