Ombudsman office condemns pace of investigation into assassination of Haiti's President Moïse

An ombudsman office in Haiti has denounced what it called the “unacceptable slowness” of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse nearly two years after he was killed

Haiti US Presidential Slaying Lawsuit (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

An ombudsman office in Haiti denounced Thursday what it called the “unacceptable slowness” of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse nearly two years after he was killed.

The Office of Citizen Protection, an independent government agency that investigates complaints against public institutions, also demanded better protection for Walter Wesser Voltaire, the judge investigating the case. Voltaire is the fifth judge assigned to the case, with four previous ones being dismissed or resigning for personal reasons.

Voltaire on Thursday declined to speak with The Associated Press, saying the investigation is confidential and that he would hold a press conference when ready.

A previous judge assigned to the case told the AP that his family asked him not to oversee the legal proceedings because they feared he would be killed, while another judge stepped down after his assistant died under murky circumstances.

The ombudsman office also demanded that an international body help Haiti’s Ministry of Justice with the investigation into the July 7, 2021 killing of Moïse, who was shot 12 times at his private home.

“Many individuals denounced in this assassination are still on the run,” the office said.

It noted that while the case has barely budged in Haiti, U.S. authorities have arrested 11 suspects, with the first one convicted and sentenced last month. Meanwhile, more than 40 other suspects are languishing in one of Haiti’s crumbling prisons, including at least 18 former soldiers from Colombia accused of participating in the killing that also injured Moïse’s wife, Martine.

Earlier this month, Martine repeated her call for the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands to investigate the slaying. She also filed a lawsuit in late June against the suspects in the case, seeking unspecified damages for her family and a trial by jury.

On June 26, Martine, in a tweet, wished her slain husband a happy birthday, noting he would have been 55 years old. She called for an in-depth investigation saying, "the truth will come out. Justice will be served."

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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico