Court of Peace
The Court of Peace on Rue Lamarre in Port-au-Prince, seen on Friday, October 27, 2023. The court is one part of the Haitian judicial system facing numerous challenges that limit its actions toward those accused of financing gangs in Haiti. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise/ The Haitian Times

PORT-AU-PRINCE — In the days since a United Nations Panel of Experts released a damning report naming prominent Haitians allegedly involved in financing criminal activities in Haiti, calls have been growing for the country’s judicial system to follow up. However, several people inside and outside the system say they are skeptical about the judiciary’s ability to pursue the alleged gang backers because some in that group are government officials that oversee prosecutions.

“As a [standing] magistrate, I am very skeptical about the capacity of the Haitian judicial system to pursue these cases,” Fatilnor Patrick Douyon, one of the prosecutors in Les Cayes, told The Haitian Times.

Overview:

Some doubt that Haiti's judicial system can pursue the high-profile people a United Nations experts' report said are involved in financing criminal activities. Others believe the moment is an opportunity for the system to fix its dysfunction and enforce the law.

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I am Juhakenson Blaise, a journalist based in the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I cover the news that develops in this city and deals with other subjects related to the experience of Haitians for the Haitian Times newspaper. I am also a lover of poetry.