The United States continues to gradually release the list of individuals sanctioned for their involvement in criminal activities in Haiti.
Former Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive and former Senator Nenel Cassy have recently joined the list of Haitian figures subject to US sanctions for their alleged involvement in corruption activities in Haiti.
Former Senator Hervé Fourcant has also been included in the category of “corrupt actors,” according to the US Department of State.
“In accordance with section 7031(c), the Department of State publicly designates Mr. Bellerive for having abused his public position by engaging in corrupt activities that undermined the integrity of the Haitian government,” states a press release from the US Department of State, which has also imposed sanctions on Jean Max Bellerive’s wife, Myriam Estevez De Bellerive, and his adult daughters, Diana Jennifer Bellerive and Jessica Bellerive.”
While serving as Prime Minister and Minister of Planning under the presidency of René Préval, Mr. Bellerive was involved in large-scale corruption, according to the US Department of State.
As for former Senator Nenel Cassy, he is accused by the US government “of having abused his public position by engaging in corrupt activities that undermined the integrity of the Haitian government.” The wife of the leader of the Democratic and Popular Sector, Katherine Cassy Chery, and even a minor child of the former parliamentarian are not spared from Uncle Sam’s sanctions.
Previously selected in the team of drug traffickers, former Senator Hervé Fourcant has, once again, answered the call. The wealthy businessman has done everything to maintain his position on the list of sanctioned individuals, but this time in another team, that of the presumed corrupt. The same charges against Jean Max Bellerive and Nenel Cassy also apply to Hervé Fourcant while retaining his place on the list of alleged drug traffickers.
US sanctions consist of freezing assets and travel bans to the United States for offenders and their family members, according to the Department of State, which has also imposed sanctions on around thirty other personalities in various countries.
This publication is part of the measures taken by the United States “to promote accountability for corrupt actors worldwide,” on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day and the opening of the conference of member states of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
With the addition of these three new figures, the sanctioned team now includes 15 individuals known to the public: Johnson ANDRE, Gary BODEAU, Rony CELESTIN, Jimmy CHERIZIER, Renel DESTINA, Joseph Pierre Richard DUPLAN, Empresa Cubana de Aviacion, Herve FOURCAND, Vitel’homme INNOCENT, Wilson JOSEPH, Joseph LAMBERT, Youri LATORTUE, Fednel MONCHERY, Jean Max Bellerive, and Nenel Cassy, according to the website of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US government.
These names come from a larger list of over fifty Haitian personalities sanctioned by the United Nations.
Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries have already made public several names, including former and current members of Ariel Henry’s government. This includes former Ministers of Justice and Interior, Berto Dorcé and Liszt Quitel, respectively. Former Director of the General Customs Administration, Romel Bell, has also been sanctioned by Canada and the United States. These two influential members of the CORE Group had also adopted sanctions against former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.
While Canada announced sanctions against former President Michel Joseph Martelly for his alleged involvement in financing armed gangs in Haiti, the United States has yet to comment on the singer of the Sweet Micky group.
Several months ago, the United Nations released a damning report on the involvement of the founder of the “bandit légal” concept and his Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. Other figures, including former Prime Minister Jean Henry Céant, were also mentioned in the report.