US and Canada accuse current and former presidents of Haiti’s Senate of corruption, aiding illegal activities of gangs.
The United States and Canada have imposed coordinated sanctions against two Haitian politicians, accusing Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue of using their posts “to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs”.
In a statement on Friday, the Canadian foreign affairs department accused Lambert and Latortue – the current and former presidents of Haiti’s Senate, respectively – of backing Haitian gangs “through money laundering and other acts of corruption”.
The US Department of the Treasury also said the pair was targeted for “having engaged in, or attempted to engage in, activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a significant risk of materially contributing to, the international proliferation of illicit drugs”.
“Joseph Lambert and Youri Latortue have abused their official positions to traffic drugs and collaborated with criminal and gang networks to undermine the rule of law in Haiti,” Treasury official Brian E Nelson said in a statement.
“The United States and our international partners will continue to take action against those who facilitate drug trafficking, enable corruption, and seek to profit from instability in Haiti.”
Haiti is facing a dire humanitarian and security crisis, as gangs have blockaded a key petrol terminal in the capital, Port-au-Prince, leading to fuel and water shortages. That, coupled with soaring violence, has complicated the nation’s response to an outbreak of cholera.
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