On July 7, 2021, Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in his residence by a commando. His wife Martine Moïse was seriously injured. In Haiti, an investigating judge issued an arrest warrant against the widow of the former Haitian president.
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Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, the Haitian magistrate charged with overseeing the investigation into Moïse’s murder, ordered the arrest of Martine Moïse. It is what the Miami Herald.
The warrant was issued months ago and sent to Haitian police, but its existence was only made public this Monday, January 29, when a copy was leaked on Haitian social media. The judge would like to question the wife of the former head of state about “the acts of armed robbery, attempted assassination, assassination, criminal conspiracy, etc. to the detriment of the President of the Republic.
But the police were unable to arrest him because Martine Moïse is not in Haiti. According to Miami Herald, Martine Moïse is reportedly living in South Florida while awaiting a decision from US immigration authorities on whether she can extend her stay. She was visiting on a travel visa that has since expired.
The former first lady refused to appear before the judge, who wants to question her about the attack, and instead demanded her dismissal. The arrest warrant is issued for failure to appear before the investigating judge. The warrant makes no mention of a possible involvement of Martine Moïse in the death of her husband, also indicates the American daily.
Refusal to cooperate with the Haitian investigation
On July 7, 2021, the former First Lady of Haiti was in their residence with her husband, Jovenel Moïse, with their two children when the assassins broke in and shot him. Martine Moïse, who survived the attack, was transported by air ambulance to the United States and treated in Florida, before returning to Port-au-Prince. Although she first responded to the Haitian authorities, Martine Moïse has since refused to cooperate with the investigation. She did not take part in the official commemoration ceremonies in honor of Jovenel Moïse, nor in the inauguration of the mausoleum.
The former first lady has granted very few interviews since her husband’s assassination. But on RFI, she pointed the finger at the Haitian authorities. Despite dozens of arrests and an ongoing American investigation, the motive for the murder and who ordered it still remain a mystery.
Read alsoMartine Moïse: “The light will be shed on the assassination of my husband”
A new investigating judge to boost the investigation
Two parallel investigations are underway into the murder of Moïse, which have already resulted in four suspects pleading guilty in the United States. The Chilean-Haitian businessman Rodolphe Jaar was thus sentenced to life in prison in June in Florida. He admitted to having provided money and weapons to the commando who killed Jovenel Moïse. Among the suspects in this case, two managers of a security company suspected of having recruited Colombian mercenaries.
After months of stalling, the Haiti investigation began to gain momentum late last year when Walther Wesser Voltaire, the fifth investigating judge assigned to the case, began looking more closely at close to those close to the former president and to order a new group of suspects to appear. For example, he questioned the former Prime Minister Claude Joseph.
Still according to the Miami Herald, Martine Moïse is reportedly living in South Florida while awaiting a decision from US immigration authorities on whether she can extend her stay. She was visiting on a travel visa that has since expired.