Teleco Bribery Probe leads to Jean Bertrand Aristide
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The news broke out just before Haitians marked the 8th anniversary of Aristide’s dispossession from power. Thousands of Haiti residents took to the street to protest against the US government for instigating proceedings and against the reigning Haitian president, Martelly. They sang and chanted anti-Martelly slogans as they demanded him to show his passport to clear himself against allegations of being a citizen of more than one country.
The indictment, which comes at a time when Haiti’s political climate is very volatile, alleges that “Official B” and other senior officials at the Teleco, which is owned by the Central Bank of Haiti received a total of $2.3 million from two Miami based companies: Uniplex Telecom Technologies and Cinergy Telecommunications. The suit further alleges that bribes were passed to “Official B” through Company A, which apparently refers to a company that is owned by Lesly Lavelanet, Aristide’s brother in law. This company is called Digitek. The case charges two Haitian officials and four businessmen from Florida.
The ongoing case has seen seven of the accused being convicted for money laundering and corruption. One of the convicts, Patrick Joseph is said to be helping the Justice Department Lawyers and is set to testify against Aristide. Joseph was the director of Teleco between 2001 and 2003 pleaded guilty to corruption charges in February. He asserts that he shared some of the illegal bribes with Aristide. In a fateful twist of events, Joseph’s father is mentioned in the case as “Official A.”
Jean Bertrand Aristide’s lawyer preferred to keep his mouth shut over the case, with a simple comment that he considers it a mudslinging campaign that is masterminded by the United States. Aristide still commands great support from Haitians as evidenced by the demonstrations. In fact, the case made his political star shine even brighter, with rumors that he might make a comeback in the political arena.
It is said that “Official B” and Joseph created a rapport with the two Florida companies with the aim of offering them benefits such as exclusive marketing of calling cards at a ‘too friendly’ rate in exchange for the large sums of money. This gave the two companies unprecedented business sovereignty.
The probe must proceed with haste if it is to see the light of day. Due to the statute limitation there is a deadline before which the case needs to be finalized.
