Ex-Haitian senator extradited to US over president’s killing
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A former Haitian senator appeared before a judge in Miami Monday after being extradited from Jamaica for his alleged role in the July killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
Joseph Joel John, 51, is accused of conspiring to commit a murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support to a commando operation against the Haitian president, the US Attorney’s Office said.
John will be the third person tried in Miami in the case of Moise, who was assassinated on July 7 at the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince.
The US justice system says it has jurisdiction in this case, arguing that part of the plan to kill the president was allegedly hatched in Florida.
The other two suspects detained in the United States are Mario Palacios, a retired Colombian military officer, and Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman.
Both have been imprisoned in Miami since January after being extradited from Panama and the Dominican Republic, respectively.
Last month Palacios, 43, pleaded not guilty. Jaar, 49, has yet to appear in court for his arraignment.
If the three arrested suspects are found guilty, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Palacios is accused of being one of 26 Colombian mercenaries who allegedly took part in the murder of Moise at his home in Port-au-Prince. His wife Martine was also shot and wounded.
The mastermind or masterminds of the assassination remain a mystery.
It deepened an already dramatic crisis in destitute Haiti, which is suffering from a lack of security, soaring gang violence and rampant kidnappings.
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