Five employees of the Port-au-Prince customs, Angela Sanon, Guerline Maddy, Ednice Casalès, Kénold Bien-Aimé and Sabine Bourdeau, were kidnapped yesterday, Thursday, as they were leaving the office. These customs agents were in a vehicle when they were targeted by heavily armed individuals. One of them had time to flee.
The Haitian Customs Administration is dismayed and strongly condemns this kidnapping of five of its members assigned to the Port-au-Prince Customs and the Central Office.
The ADH asks all customs officers of the Republic to observe a work stoppage from this Friday, June 10, 2022. The objective is to demand from the state authorities the immediate release of their colleagues, safe and unconditionally and the permanent establishment of three (3) police back-ups around the customs office in Port-au-Prince and the central office.
The ADH points out that customs officers have become targets of kidnappers, reporting that in less than two weeks, 7 customs officers have been kidnapped and only one released.
A situation that the customs community says it lives with a broken and contrite spirit.
The ADH conditions the resumption of activities within the customs administration to the satisfaction of its demands.
This kidnapping of these customs agents comes 72 hours after the release of the Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs, Roosevelt Réjouis, who was kidnapped in Delmas 75 on May 31.
In response, the Haitian Customs Association announced a work stoppage to demand the release of its executive, who was expected to replace Director General Rommel Bell, who is under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit.