US imposes sanctions on former Haitian president

WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States on Tuesday announced that it had imposed sanctions against former Haitian president Michel Martelly for trafficking “dangerous drugs” destined for the United States.

Martelly, who served as head of state between 2011 and 2016 is accused of abusing “his influence to facilitate the trafficking of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, destined for the United States”.

In the statement, the US Treasury Department said the former musician was also involved in “laundering of illicit drug proceeds,” and working with local drug traffickers and sponsoring multiple Haiti-based gangs.

“Today's action against Martelly emphasises the significant and destabilising role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti,” Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley Smith, said in the statement.

“The United States, along with our international partners, is committed to disrupting those who facilitate the drug trafficking, corruption, and other illicit activities fuelling the horrific gang violence and political instability.”

As a result, the action by Washington freezes any of Martelly's US assets and generally bars Americans from dealing with him.

Haiti has been without an elected head of state since July 7, 2021, when Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his private residence overlooking Port au Prince.

The United Nations says gang wars have displaced more than 578,000 Haitians, while nearly 5 million – almost half the population of 11.7 million – are facing acute hunger, with 1.6 million of those people at risk of starvation.

Haiti has also benefitted from the deployment of police officers from Kenya under the United Nations sanctioned mission to combat powerful armed gangs that have wreaked turmoil in the Caribbean country.

In June, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Joly Germine, described as the “King” of a violent Haitian gang, was sentenced to 420 months in prison for his role in a gun-running conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of US export laws.

Eliande Tunis, 46, of Pompano Beach, Florida, who styled herself as Germine's “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, was sentenced on June 5, to 150 months in prison for her role in the conspiracy, the DOJ said.

It said two other defendants in the conspiracy were also sentenced to jail time for their involvement.

The head of the Transitional President Council  (TPC), in Haiti, Edgard Leblanc Fils, has said that he expects presidential and legislative elections to be held in the French-speaking CARICOM country by the end of 2025.

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