Haitian Expresident Martelly questioned over succesor Moise’s murder
Port-au-Prince, Oct. 3 (EFE) – Former Haitian President Michel Martelly appeared Tuesday before Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, who is investigating the assassination of his successor, President Jovenel Moise.
Martelly was questioned by the judge for four hours and did not make any statements to the media after leaving the hearing.
Later, the former president posted a message on his X account (formerly Twitter): “Out of respect for the law and the judicial authorities of my country, I appeared today before Judge Walther W. Voltaire in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.”
In Haiti, some sectors suspec Martelly of participating in the plot to assassinate Moise, which occurred in the early hours of July 7, 2021 at his private residence in Port-au-Prince, where first lady Martine Moise was also injured.
“Respecting the principle of secrecy of the investigation, I told the judge that I support everything that the prosecutor’s office is doing to complete the investigation so that it can identify and punish the culprits involved in the magnitude of this crime,” added Martelly.
Martelly’s lawyer, Mario Delcy, told the media that his client would give his “full support” to the investigation.
“Michel Martelly has answered all the questions put to him by the honorable judge,” the lawyer said.
According to officials, Moise was tortured and murdered in his private residence in the Pétion-ville district of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, by a group of mercenaries, mostly Colombians.
Agents of the specialized units of the National Palace responsible for the security of the Head of State were complicit in the assassination.
In June, a federal judge in Miami, Florida, sentenced Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Jaar to life in prison after he pleaded guilty in March to aiding the commando that assassinated the Haitian president.
In the United States, Haitian-Americans James Solages, Joseph Vincent, and Christian Sanon are also in custody.
Retired Colombian military officer Germán Alejandro Rivera García is also accused of participating in the plot.
The Venezuelan-American Antonio Intriago, owner of a security company that recruited twenty former Colombian soldiers who attacked the house of the Haitian president on the night of the assassination, is also being held in connection with the case.EFE
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