US Court Sentences Haitian Business-Man To Life In Moise’s Killing
A court in the United
States has sentenced a Haitian-Chilean businessman to life in prison for his
role in the plot to assassinate former Haitian President Jovenel
Moise in 2021.
A US federal judge in
Miami sentenced Rodolphe Jaar on Friday, more than two months after the
50-year-old dual national pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside of the US,
as well as to providing material support resulting in death.
In March, prosecutors
had said that Jaar was “responsible for providing weapons to … co-conspirators
to facilitate carrying out the operation” that resulted in Moise’s
assassination.
The former president
was killed on July 7, 2021, when a group of armed men stormed his home in the
Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, sending shockwaves across the Caribbean nation
and around the world.
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Jaar is one of 11
people to be arrested and charged in
the US for their alleged role in the killing, which further
destabilised Haitian
politics and fuelled an continuing wave of violence in the country.
US prosecutors had stated that Jaar provided weapons and lodging to a group of Colombian mercenaries involved in the scheme.
Jaar is the only person
to plead guilty, and the other 10 suspects charged in the US are currently
scheduled to begin a jury trial in July.
The Miami Herald had
previously reported that Jaar, a former informant for the US government who had
cooperated during an investigation into cocaine smuggling 10 years ago, could
receive a more lenient sentence of less than 30 years due to his previous
cooperation with federal officials.
On Friday, however,
Judge Jose E Martinez opted for the maximum sentence of life in prison.
Charging documents
state that the plotters had initially planned to kidnap Moise, but changed
their plans and decided to kill him instead.
They had hoped to win
profitable contracts from a new Haitian government after the assassination, US
authorities have alleged.
Haitian authorities also have arrested more than 40 people, including 18 former Colombian soldiers, for their alleged involvement in Moise’s killing. But the process in Haiti has been beset by setbacks and is slow-moving.
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