Widow, ex-PM and former police chief indicted in 2021 assassination of Haiti's president

Haiti judge indicts suspects in President Moïse's assassination, including widow, ex-PM, and police chief, amid political turmoil.

A judge in Haiti responsible for investigating the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse indicted his widow, Martine Moïse, ex-prime minister Claude Joseph and the former chief of Haiti’s National Police, Léon Charles, among others, in a report released Monday.

The indictments are expected to further destabilise Haiti as it struggles with a surge in gang violence and recovers from a spate of violent protests demanding the resignation of current Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Dozens of suspects were indicted in the 122-page report issued by Walther Wesser Voltaire, who is the fifth judge to lead the investigation after previous ones stepped down for various reasons, including fear of being killed.

Mr. Charles, who was police chief when Moïse was killed and now serves as Haiti’s permanent representative to the Organization of the American States, faces the most serious charges: murder; attempted murder; possession and illegal carrying of weapons; conspiracy against the internal security of the state; and criminal association.

Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph and Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack, are accused of complicity and criminal association. Mr. Charles could not be immediately reached for comment, and Martine Moïse’s attorney did not return a message for comment.

Meanwhile, Mr. Joseph, the former prime minister, shared a statement with The Associated Press accusing Henry of “undermining” the investigation and benefitting from the president's death.

“Henry... is weaponizing the Haitian justice system, prosecuting political opponents like me. It’s a classic coup d’état,” Mr. Joseph said. “They failed to kill me and Martine Moïse on July 7th 2021, now they are using the Haitian justice system to advance their Machiavellian agenda.”