Without protesting against the charges of illegal firearms trafficking, forgery, suspected corruption, influence peddling and criminal association, the Port-au-Prince Bar Council indicated in a protest note dated July 23, 2022 that it is dismayed by the arrest followed by the detention of Mr. Robinson Pierre Louis at the behest of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ), without prior request to the President of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association as provided for by law.
The Bar Association specified that a delegation of the Council led by the President of the Bar Marie Suzie Legros went to the premises of the Brigade of Financial and Economic Affairs (BAFE) to note that indeed, Robinson Pierre-Louis was held by the agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) who decided manu militari to keep him in custody, specifies the note.
Contrary to the latter, the national police force took stock of the situation, informing that the former member of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSC), Mr. Robinson PIERRE LOUIS, was invited by the BAFE, on Friday, July 22, 2022, to be heard in the context of the case related to the illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition in Port-de-Paix, and that he was therefore detained following his hearing. The latter is accused of forgery, suspected corruption, influence peddling and criminal association, noted the PNH, on its official Facebook account.
The Council of the Order believes that this situation has raised its concern to an extreme level, and stresses that the fundamental rights of the alleged criminal, lawyer, and Secretary of the Council of the Order, are openly violated. This brings the whole corporation into disrepute, according to the Council.
Whether the lawyer is really charged for the accusations against him, or whether he is arrested or detained in front of the evidence, and in addition to the fact that the DCPJ had requested from the MJSP that he be made available on behalf of the BAFE, or with this note of protest for a lawyer suspected of illegal arms trafficking, one might wonder which of these facts would amount to a real scandal.
The Council of the Order has judged the investigation leading to the arrest of its secretary to be scurrilous, not without mentioning that the investigation into the assassination of former Bâtonnier Monferrier Dorval continues to languish in the drawers.
The council deliberately omitted to pronounce itself on the basis of the arrest of Robinson Pierre-Louis, but asks that he be released without delay.
The prosecuting authorities must comply with the conventions, laws and regulations guaranteeing the free exercise of the legal profession, writes the council of the order. Is it not the prerogative of the judicial police to act in good faith for the needs of an ongoing investigation, to detain an accused?
It is important to note that the investigation of the DCPJ
concerning the seizure of a shipment of 120,000 rounds of ammunition at the Warf of Port-de-Paix in early July 2022, is currently underway. The police inform that investigators are particularly interested in the suspicious release of alleged arms and ammunition traffickers linked to this case.
It should be recalled that, in the context of this case, the former Government Commissioner at the Court of First Instance of Port-de-Paix, Michelet Virgile, was dismissed by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security for “serious misconduct” following his decision to release Jonas Georges and Fritz Jean-Rélus, respectively the owner of the boat Miss Lili and the commissioner of the shipment seized in Port-de-Paix, on the orders of Maitre Robinson Pierre-Louis. Information relayed by Média Haïti Infos Pro mentioned the fact that the lawyer kept in custody by the DCPJ is among those who were mobilized by the suspects Jonas Georges and Fritz Jean-Rélus in order to be released as soon as possible.
With this case, it is a new case in justice that is already causing much controversy. When legal authorities are involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms and ammunition in the country, it is only to be expected that society will know a little more.