ALEXIS: WE WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO PARLIAMENTARIAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000246 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM HA SUBJECT: ALEXIS: WE WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO PARLIAMENTARIAN PRESSURE REF: A. 06 PAP 2187 ¶B. PAP 89 PORT AU PR 00000246 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN),headed by Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis, appeared before the chamber of deputies on January 30 to discuss the dispute between the deputies and Jean Saint-Fleur, the administrative director of the Haitian National Police (HNP). Michelet Casimir (OPL ) Baraderes) accused St. Fleur of beating him after a traffic stop on January 12. Following the incident, the lower house of parliament pressured the Minister of Justice Rene Magloire to dismiss St. Fleur, a request which Magloire refused. The Prime Minister backed Magloire's decision, stating that the executive will not take punitive action until the administrative and judicial proceedings against St. Fleur have been completed. The Prime Minister's firm resistance to parliamentary pressure is a welcome sign that the executive will demand responsible behavior from parliamentarians and resist abuse of parliamentary immunity. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On January 12, Deputy Casimir was a passenger in a private vehicle traveling along a one-way street in the wrong direction. Traffic police stopped the vehicle, and upon discovering illegal weapons, called St. Fleur to the scene. Casimir claims that St. Fleur then beat him and his companions. St. Fleur denies these allegations and the case is now under internal investigation as well as in the preliminary hearing stage at the Port-au-Prince public prosecutor's office. ¶3. (U) The chamber of deputies adopted a resolution on January 18 calling for the dismissal of St. Fleur within 24 hours. The Prime Minister not only refused to act on the resolution, but sharply criticized the chamber in his testimony. During the hearing, Alexis explained that the HNP's inspector general of the national police is conducting an internal investigation of the police brutality accusations, independent of the judicial proceedings. After the investigation is complete, the Minister of Justice will take appropriate action. Alexis took the opportunity to publicly reprimand deputy Casimir, who had not yet appeared before the investigators to answer questions. The Prime Minister was clear that no punitive measure would be taken against an officer without a full investigation, but reported that St. Fleur had been limited to office tasks until the completion of the internal investigation. ¶4. (U) Alexis noted that at the time of the incident the deputy was not driving his vehicle with official plates and that there were several illegal weapons inside the vehicle. He criticized the inconsistent behavior of the deputies. First, the legislators created a law banning unregistered weapons. Now, the deputies were admonishing the police, responsible for enforcing the law, for doing their job. Alexis stressed that a deputy violated a traffic law close to the heavily-monitored presidential palace. In his view, this action in itself is cause for suspicion. Casimir's behavior is no more acceptable than the alleged behavior of St. Fleur. Alexis told the parliamentarians that the justice system was a third and distinct power and the parliamentarians would not be allowed to interfere or pressure this branch, nor the executive. ¶5. (U) Delivering another pointed rebuke to the chamber, the GoH reran in the press for several days this week a full-page missive signed by Secretary General of the Presidency Fritz Longchamps calling on public officials to obey traffic laws, including respecting one-way streets. Obliging all elected officials to be model citizens, the public announcement also reminds parliamentarians that they can not carry unregistered weapons or disregard any law. The GoH first published the notice on September 18 as one of Longchamps first official acts at Preval's behest. ¶6. (U) Comment: Alexis showed admirable fortitude in facing down what appears to be an unjustifiable defense by the deputies of blanket parliamentary immunity. The executive has until now tread warily around parliamentary disputes with PORT AU PR 00000246 002.2 OF 002 other government entities. Most notably, the executive failed to intervene on either side. Last year, parliamentarians sought the dismissal of Michael Lucius as well as Claudy Gassant. Lucius, former judicial director of the police (DCPJ),was laterally moved in the HNP (ref A). Gassant remains the chief public prosecutor for Port-au-Prince (ref B). Alexis' no nonsense stance should serve as a welcome reminder to the deputies that they too must obey the law. End Comment. SANDERSON