PM Henry under suspicion of Moise assassination, banned from exiting Haiti

• Khalid Al Mansoor
• . September 15, 2021
• . Update: September 15, 2021 7:54 pm
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Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry has been banned from leaving the country amid ongoing investigation into his alleged role in assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise. Henry has been linked to Joseph Felix Badio, a key suspect in the assassination of President that rocked the Caribbean country. According to prosecutors in the case, records of phone calls between two men just few hours after the killing are in possession.

Chief Prosecutor Bedford Claude was sacked on Monday by PM Henry for a “serious administrative offence”. However, on Tuesday Claude appeared to retain the post as he asked judge investigating Moise murder to charge Henry as a suspect in case. “There are enough compromising elements to prosecute Henry and ask for his outright indictment,” Claude wrote in the official request, according to the Associated Press.

In the two page request to judge, Claude wrote that Henry spoke to Badio for at least 7 minutes shortly after Moise was killed. Citing the rift between Henry and Claude and many threats to the latter, he has been given extra protection by the judge.

Suspected link of PM Henry to Moise assassination

According to phone records obtained by prosecutors from Digicel, the phone operator, Henry and Badio had spoken twice few hours after assassination of President Moise on July 7. Badio is an official in justice ministry who has been accused of planning the assassination. Badio is currently on a run. Geolocation data of telecom signals indicated that Badio was speaking from a location close to scene of crime, shortly after which he disappeared.

Prime Minister Henry has rejected all accusations labelling them as “diversionary tactics”. Henry has admitted to know Badio while defending him of being mastermind of assassination.

September 14 was the deadline given to the prime minister to supply all information related to the assassination. Authorities have stepped up all efforts to capture remaining suspects in President Moise’s assassination. At present 44 people are held in police custody in connection to the case. This includes 18 retired personnel of the military of Colombia. Police have also claimed that one of the key conspirators of assassination was Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Florida-based pastor with an ostensible plan to take over as leader of Haiti.