former Haitian President Jovenel Moise
Eighteen suspects accused of involvement in the 2021 assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise have been transferred from Haiti to the United States to face trial.
US officials said the suspects were transported to Florida on Sunday, as American authorities continue their prosecution of people allegedly connected to the plot.
Federal prosecutor Jason Reding Quinones said the suspects were flown from Haiti on a military aircraft to face proceedings in the Southern District of Florida.
He said US authorities had so far indicted 30 people in connection with the assassination and warned that the prosecutions were not over.
Among those transferred was Joseph Felix Badio, a former anti-corruption official with Haiti’s Ministry of Justice who has been identified as a major suspect in the investigation.
Haitian government and police sources said the other suspects included Colombian nationals who were allegedly part of the group involved in the operation.
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Colombia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that 17 of its citizens had been transferred from Haiti to the United States.
The ministry said the Colombian government was monitoring the development but had not participated in the decision or process that led to the transfer.
Moise was killed at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. Investigators said a group of about 20 Colombian military-trained mercenaries had been hired in connection with the operation.
The president’s security detail came under scrutiny after failing to prevent the attack.
In May, four men were convicted in a Miami federal court over charges connected to the plot, including conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moise and providing material support for the operation. They could face life imprisonment.
US prosecutors said the men were linked to CTU Security, a Florida-based private security company, and had allegedly been attracted by the prospect of lucrative contracts after Moise was removed from power.
The assassination plunged Haiti further into political and security turmoil. The country has since struggled with gang violence and remains without a president, while preparations continue for elections scheduled for December, subject to security conditions.
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