PALACIOS FREE

There were no last-minute attempts by Haitian authorities to secure the extradition of Mario Antonio Palacios, one of the key suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, from Jamaica to the French-speaking country on Monday.

Palacios, who was being held in custody since October when he served five days for illegally entering the country, was deported to his home country Colombia Monday afternoon, his attorney Carolyn Reid Cameron confirmed with The Gleaner. She did not provide further details.

A highly placed source within the Ministry of National Security also confirmed that Palacios left the island “on an afternoon flight”.

The former Colombian military officer is believed to have departed the island on Copa Airlines flight 417 at 3:25 p.m. The flight, which was originally scheduled to depart at 2:58 p.m., landed in Panama City at 4:58 p.m. It is expected to depart this morning and is scheduled to land in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, at approximately 9:30 a.m.

It was the only flight scheduled to depart the island for Colombia on Monday.

Authorities from the United States are believed to have assisted local authorities in the security of Palacios, who was being held at the high-security Horizon Adult Correctional Centre in St Andrew since he was captured in central Jamaica, three months after Moïse was slain.

“The United States is a strong partner to Jamaica, especially on issues of security. We will continue to work with Jamaican authorities to combat transnational organised crime, curb illicit trafficking, and improve citizen security,” Bobby Adelson, spokesperson at the US Embassy in Kingston, said when asked by The Gleaner if the US had provided security or any other assistance to Jamaican authorities for the safe deportation of Palacios.

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that authorities should enforce a November 27 order signed by National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang for Palacios’ deportation to Colombia.

This was despite two extradition requests from Haitian authorities, who implicated Palacios and 40 other suspects in Moïse’s murder.

Jamaica has no formal extradition treaty with Haiti.

The initial request was denied by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions because it did not meet the legal requirements of Jamaica’s Extradition Act.

A second request which came on December 23, accompanied by documents, was also denied, according to Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Paula Llewellyn.

She said the request, as a matter of law, could not proceed, could not be processed and was destined to fail.

Asked if a third request had been submitted, following her revelation that her office was not au fait with a report by Haitian investigators in which other suspects allegedly identified Palacios as playing an integral role in the Haitian leader’s death, Llewellyn said, “No”.

The high-profile suspect is expected to be a free man when he lands in Colombia, according to Reid Cameron, who said that there were no known charges levelled against her client in the South American country.

“He has no charges awaiting him,” the lawyer confirmed with The Gleaner.

Haitian investigators were told, according to a leaked report seen by The Gleaner, that Palacios was part of a six-man team, code-named ‘Delta’, which was tasked with breaching the president’s private quarters in the wee hours on July 7 last year.

He was also identified as one of four men seen inside Moïse’s room.

The 53-year-old president was said to have been found with gunshot wounds all over his body and several broken limbs.

His wife was also injured in the attack. She has since recovered.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com