Haiti-Corruption: Over 500 Million Gourdes Allegedly Embezzled from Ministry of Defense

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— The Haitian Ministry of Defense is at the heart of a major institutional crisis, following serious accusations of embezzlement publicly made by its Director General, Jean Ronel Sistanis, against the acting minister, Jean Michel Moïse. The alleged facts involve over 500 million gourdes committed to projects presented as strategic for national security.

According to Mr. Sistanis' statements on Radio Caraïbes this Thursday morning, these funds were intended to strengthen the operational capabilities of national defense, in a context marked by the continuous deterioration of the security situation, the expansion of armed groups, and the weakening of state institutions. However, he asserts, no concrete achievements currently justify the extent of the disbursements made.

The Director General notably cites 160 million gourdes allocated to an agricultural project in Belladère, 80 million gourdes assigned to the Champ-de-Mars military base, as well as 50 million gourdes intended for the rehabilitation of the Bicentenaire base. At this stage, he maintains, these investments have not resulted in functional infrastructure or tangible results on the ground.

Even more concerning, Jean Ronel Sistanis mentions the alleged disappearance of 350 million gourdes from the Intelligence Fund, a sensitive financial mechanism supposed to support strategic activities related to national security. He describes this case as particularly serious and calls on the competent authorities to assess its full scope, both administratively and criminally.

In the absence, for now, of an official reaction from the minister in question, these accusations are causing a shockwave within the public administration and are acutely reigniting the debate on governance, transparency, and accountability in the high spheres of the Haitian state.

Jean Mapou / Le Relief