The judge of the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince, Bernard Sainvil, appointed Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire on Tuesday as head of the investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
With this appointment, he is the fifth investigating judge in charge of this case after the resignation of Merlan Belabre, as well as Haitian judge Jean Wilner Morin, one of his predecessors in the position, who alleged personal reasons less than a week after his appointment.
Among these judges is Garry Orélien, who came to ensure that the prime minister, Ariel Henry, would be related to the planning of the assassination and linked to one of the masterminds, according to a recording to which the US network had access.
Belabre, the previous investigating judge in charge of Moise’s murder case, expressed concern for his safety and that of his family in a statement picked up by the AlterPresse news agency.
Several judges have denounced that the conditions to carry out the case are not the most ideal, with weakened judicial structures, pressures and threats of all kinds, as well as the difficulty in extraditing the main intellectual and material suspects of the crime.
Since the assassination of the president, Jovenel Moise, on July 7, the always turbulent political and economic situation in Haiti has been hit even harder. Soon the power vacuum degenerated into a security crisis, with daily murders and kidnappings, especially in large areas of the capital.
In addition, the term of the Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, officially ended on February 7, which has increased the crisis of legitimacy in the country and the economic problems, amid the increase in attacks by various armed gangs.