With the Arnel Joseph’s arrest, one must fear his revelations about a Terrorist regime in Haiti by Editor
Information gathered about armed gangs has long indicated their proximity to the current government, both at the presidential level and through rogue parliamentarians. Credible reports in the media and on social networks lead one to believe that gangs owe their existence to those in power, who provide them with weapons, ammunition as well as logistics. Worse yet, in some cases, they earn more than police officers do. With the arrest of Arnel Joseph, the whole truth is about to come out. Already some revelations attributed to him, disseminated mainly on social networks and some press organs, tend to confirm our worst fears.
Allegedly wanted by the Police for some time, this gang leader, lately captured, was maintaining good relations with the country’s top officials. Following the seizure of his telephone by the police, during a previous attempt to arrest him, the telephone numbers of his regular contacts were identified. Personalities close to the National Palace, including parliamentarians, were among those contacts.
Meanwhile, following his arrest, information from police sources has revealed that the country’s highest political authorities, particularly in the Executive Branch and in Parliament, generally maintain very close relations with the criminals. Moreover, the confiscation of the telephone of Ti-Je, the gang leader of Savanne Pistache, who was shot dead by the police during an ambush last April, showed that he too had close relations with some parliamentarians. It appears that the latter served as liaison between the bandits and the presidency, confirming previous reports linking legislators, gang leader s, members of the Executive Branch right up to the top.
Who would have thought that the president himself has close ties with the criminals ? Well, that has come out during Arnel Joseph’s interrogation by agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ). The gang leader of Village de Dieu/Marchand Dessalines allegedly confessed that Jovenel Moïse had the opportunity to converse with him via Senator Gracia Delva’s telephone. Therefore, there is confirmation that the latter plays the role of liaison between the Presidency and this criminal at a time that he was wanted by the Police.
Information revealed personally by Arnel Joseph fits with data found by the DCPJ inspectors in his telephone. That highlights how government management of the country as well as its policies depend on its close collaboration with the criminal sector. Thus, a preliminary analysis of the facts allows one to conclude that the gang leaders, who control various working-class neighborhoods in the capital and elsewhere, contribute to the measure of their capability to implementation of government policy. Indeed, Arnel Joseph’s confession throws light on how Deputies, Senators, Ministers or Under Secretaries of State and others coordinate their actions before decisions are implemented by the government.
From the confession of the gang leader of Cité de Dieu/Marchand-Dessalines, hired by the government since 2011, one gets an idea on how orders have been given to murder opponents of the Bald-Headed regime, kidnap others, or recover drug shipments dropped at specific spots on Haitian soil. According to Arnel’s revelations, it can even be said that organized crime in Haiti, under the administration of the PHTK governments, is based on a hierarchical system with the President of the Republic at the top. In addition, cabinet ministers and their allies in Parliament serve as channels for transmitting decisions to the gang leaders.
Thanks to the established system, the financing of activities is ensured. The Arnel Joseph model allows one to extrapolate regarding the other gang leaders. However, we must await the arrest of others to know exactly how they have been operating. Anyway, the arrest of Arnel Joseph, unlike the killing of Ti-Je in a shootout, turns out to be more beneficial in terms of gathering accurate information about the workings of gangs in accord with a terrorist government.
In light of what is known so far concerning government financing of the underworld, it is fair to say that gang activities have negatively affected government is financing of legitimate tasks. Undoubtedly, the financing of gangs must be factored in the budget deficit, soaring inflation and the frantic decline of the national currency. Additionally, Jovenel Moïse and his allies act as so many leeches on the public administration while grabbing all they can to pat their bank accounts, especially offshore. By the way, indications are that the gang leaders usually receive only 60% of the sums withdrawn for them.
Everything we know to date about the government’s relationship with Arnel Joseph is cause for concern. The more we will know from his secrets revealed to the interrogators of the DCPJ, the more we will be in awe. We are bound to find out how peaceful citizens and their families live at the mercy of leaders who use extrajudicial means to settle scores with their political enemies and more. However, it is even more serious for neighboring States, which are continually inventing new techniques to control the proliferation of criminals. Foreign governments, which rely on intelligence services in their collaboration with other countries to secure their borders and societies, won’t be able to rely on a Haiti under the leadership of the ruling PHTK regimes to secure peace and order in their own country.
Based on the facts revealed by the arrest of Arnel Joseph, the Haitian people are being held captive by a terrorist network, which extends to the highest levels of government. Obviously, gang rule has replaced the rule of law. It is high time to change this situation!
this article is published by the weekly neespaper Haïti-Observateur, edition of July 31, 2019, Vol. XXXXIX no. 30, and is linked at P.11 or : http://haiti-observateur.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/H-O-31-juillet-2019.pdf
