HAITI MONTHLY: MAY, 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT AU PRINCE 000805 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS INL FOR KEVIN BROWN AND ANGELIC YOUNG SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV HA SUBJECT: HAITI MONTHLY: MAY, 2008 REF: A. PORT AU PRINCE 520 ¶B. PORT AU PRINCE 1955 PORT AU PR 00000805 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Janet A. Sanderson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (U) Summary: This is a monthly report on various topics of interest which do not merit a full reporting cable. End summary. ¶2. (C) CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES PRESIDENT LAMENTS ERICQ PIERRE REJECTION. In a May 14 meeting with Poloff, Chamber of Deputies President Eric Jean-Jacques expressed dismay over the Chamber,s rejection of Ericq Pierre as Prime Minister. He said the Lespwa deputies did not support Pierre,s candidacy in a deliberate attack on the Lespwa platform. Jean-Jacques said his office was now investigating the political maneuvering that led to Pierre,s rejection. He showed off copies of checks to various schools in various communes, signed in late April by acting PM Jacques Edouard Alexis, as evidence that Alexis paid deputies to reject Pierre. ¶3. (SBU) SENATOR BOULOS STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS SEAT. Ousted Senator Rudolph Boulos (ref A) told Poloff via email May 12 that he does not plan to return to Haiti until his claim in front of the Court of First Instance goes through. He and his lawyers are trying to prevent his seat from being filled through upcoming Senate elections, and have collected 30,000 signatures from electors in his Northeast Department. Boulos thought the CEP was, as of yet, unwilling to list his seat on the ballot, but noted that the preferences of President Preval and Senate President Kely Bastien would be a deciding factor in the CEP,s actions. ¶4. (SBU) COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE BURGLARIZED. Four armed men broke into the Court of First Instance, located inside the Justice Ministry in downtown Port-au-Prince, on the evening of May 12. The intruders demanded the chief clerk lay on the floor, and proceeded to steal evidence, including weapons, as well as cash. The Haitian National Police (HNP) detained four of its own officers who were on duty guarding the court at the time of the robbery. Although investigation into inventory of missing cases is not officially complete, early reports suggest the evidence came from important civil and drug trafficking cases, as well as dossiers on gang leaders. ¶5. (SBU) JUSTICE REFORM STILL CHUGGING. Despite the "caretaker" nature of current Minister of Justice Rene Magloire, justice experts remain positive about the progress of judicial reform. Presidential Justice Commission member Micha Gaillard told Poloff May 30 that eight of the nine members of the Superior Council of Judicial Authority (Conseil Superieur du Pouvoir Judiciare, see ref B) have already been elected. Upon completion of the Council, the judiciary will be truly independent of the Executive Branch for the first time in Haiti's history. Philippe Lamarche, Chief of Party for USAID's judicial support project, told Poloff May 29 that he is encouraged by the continuity of reforms. Facing pressure from all sides ) including Parliament, the Presidency, donors and the United Nations ) the MOJ cannot derail reforms regardless of the identity of the next Minister, he said. ¶6. (C) FANMI LAVALAS RESTRUCTURING PARTY LEADERSHIP. Outspoken Fanmi Lavalas (FL) Deputy Jonas Coffy informed Poloff May 19 that continuous squabbling within the party's executive committee strengthened calls from all ranks of the party for new leadership. Otherwise stalwart Jean Bertrand Aristide supporter, Annette Auguste (SohAnne),defected from the executive committee and pledged her support to former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune. According to Deputy Coffy, the Yvon Neptune faction of the party structured a national ad hoc committee for prospective democratic elections for a new national representative with the frontrunners for the job being Yvon Neptune and Leslie Voltaire. Deputy Coffy also claimed that Jean Bertrand Aristide supported this new party direction with the only caveat that as current national representative, although in absentia, he select his PORT AU PR 00000805 002.2 OF 002 replacement. ¶7. (SBU) CARIBBEAN FINANCIAL ACTION TASK FORCE PLENARY. The CFATF plenary was officially opened May 6 by Minister of Justice Magloire, who commended USG financial crimes assistance to the Government of Haiti (GoH). CFATF -- comprised of 30 Caribbean Basin countries -- promotes discussion of joint countermeasures against money laundering and terrorist financing. The World Bank's evaluation of Haiti was presented May 8 and recommended the GoH move quickly to adopt anti-terrorist financing legislation; ensure effective institutional use of existing analytical and investigative tools to secure successful prosecution; and adopt a more strategic approach to clarify the roles and objectives of all actors engaged in the anti-money laundering effort. ¶8. (U) FIRE DAMAGES HISTORIC MARKET. The Hyppolite Market, an historic landmark in Port-au-Prince founded in 1891, sustained significant damage after a fire broke out Friday, May 30. An UNPOL contact reported to poloff that the cause of the fire is now under investigation by the HNP, though there are rumors circulating that arson was the cause, rather than an accidental mishap. SANDERSON