Legal Action Against Internationally Sanctioned Individuals: Me Camille LeBlanc Gives His Opinion
By Gedeon Delva · Port-au-Prince
· 3 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
Through a correspondence dated May 12, 2025, the Ministry of Justice, Me Patrick Pelissier, ordered the Government Commissioner of Port-au-Prince, Frantz Monclair, to take urgent measures against all individuals sanctioned under the United Nations regime, including the freezing of all their accounts as well as those belonging to their accomplices. This decision has sparked reactions in legal circles.
Contacted by our editorial team, Mr. Camille Leblanc, a lawyer at the Port-au-Prince bar, offered his comments. Prosecutor's Office Jurisdiction
According to the legal expert, justice can prosecute anyone who commits crimes against the country. However, everything must be done in compliance with legal standards.
Regarding the injunction issued by the Minister of Justice to the Government Commissioner, Mr. Leblanc finds the letter imprecise. Some individuals were sanctioned by the UN, others by certain foreign countries such as Canada, the Dominican Republic, the United States, etc. The legal expert indicates that justice can only prosecute individuals sanctioned by the United Nations. « In fact, the Minister's letter is imprecise. Does it enjoin the Prosecutor's Office to take provisional measures against individuals sanctioned by certain foreign countries: Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United States, or only individuals sanctioned by the UN?
Some seem to validate the thesis that the letter only targets those sanctioned by the UN; if that is the case, judicial procedure applies. Otherwise, the government cannot, without any criminal file, seize citizens' assets under any pretext,» replied Me Camille regarding the Prosecutor's Office's jurisdiction to prosecute these individuals. In the first case, according to the former Minister of Justice, the commissioner can follow the minister's instructions. In this sense, he must do two things. On the criminal level: he must refer the matter to the investigating judge to prosecute these individuals for the crimes they have committed. On the civil level: the commissioner can take measures. To do so, he must obtain an order (authorization) from the dean of the court of first instance, which will allow him to seize the assets of the indexed individuals. For accomplices, Mr. Leblanc stated that only a judge can declare who is an accomplice. This, according to him, makes this phase difficult. * Right of Appeal for Sanctioned Individuals *
Can the commissioner sanction them? Will they have the right to appeal after their assets are frozen, Mr. Leblanc? «It must be remembered that when you block someone's assets, you economically strangle them with personal, family, and social consequences. You destroy them. And if you do so abusively, the victim has the right to react against all those who participated (Article 27 of the current Haitian constitution) in this injustice,» replied the former minister under President René Préval's first term. Judicial Investigation
For the category of individuals sanctioned by countries, the legal expert stated that «the files must be obtained in order to refer the matter to criminal justice.» The difference lies in the fact that the United Nations imposed sanctions after documented investigations; this is not always the case for individuals sanctioned by certain countries, with the exception of the United States, which seems to have documented the cases made public. On October 22, 2022, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2653 (2022), establishing a sanctions regime in response to the security situation in Haiti. A committee composed of all its members was formed to monitor the implementation of the sanctions. This sanctions regime imposes a travel ban, asset freeze, and targeted arms embargo. Only gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, was sanctioned in 2022. The list now includes five gang leaders, among those considered the most formidable in the country. Gedeon Delva
Contacted by our editorial team, Mr. Camille Leblanc, a lawyer at the Port-au-Prince bar, offered his comments. Prosecutor's Office Jurisdiction
According to the legal expert, justice can prosecute anyone who commits crimes against the country. However, everything must be done in compliance with legal standards.
Regarding the injunction issued by the Minister of Justice to the Government Commissioner, Mr. Leblanc finds the letter imprecise. Some individuals were sanctioned by the UN, others by certain foreign countries such as Canada, the Dominican Republic, the United States, etc. The legal expert indicates that justice can only prosecute individuals sanctioned by the United Nations. « In fact, the Minister's letter is imprecise. Does it enjoin the Prosecutor's Office to take provisional measures against individuals sanctioned by certain foreign countries: Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United States, or only individuals sanctioned by the UN?
Some seem to validate the thesis that the letter only targets those sanctioned by the UN; if that is the case, judicial procedure applies. Otherwise, the government cannot, without any criminal file, seize citizens' assets under any pretext,» replied Me Camille regarding the Prosecutor's Office's jurisdiction to prosecute these individuals. In the first case, according to the former Minister of Justice, the commissioner can follow the minister's instructions. In this sense, he must do two things. On the criminal level: he must refer the matter to the investigating judge to prosecute these individuals for the crimes they have committed. On the civil level: the commissioner can take measures. To do so, he must obtain an order (authorization) from the dean of the court of first instance, which will allow him to seize the assets of the indexed individuals. For accomplices, Mr. Leblanc stated that only a judge can declare who is an accomplice. This, according to him, makes this phase difficult. * Right of Appeal for Sanctioned Individuals *
Can the commissioner sanction them? Will they have the right to appeal after their assets are frozen, Mr. Leblanc? «It must be remembered that when you block someone's assets, you economically strangle them with personal, family, and social consequences. You destroy them. And if you do so abusively, the victim has the right to react against all those who participated (Article 27 of the current Haitian constitution) in this injustice,» replied the former minister under President René Préval's first term. Judicial Investigation
For the category of individuals sanctioned by countries, the legal expert stated that «the files must be obtained in order to refer the matter to criminal justice.» The difference lies in the fact that the United Nations imposed sanctions after documented investigations; this is not always the case for individuals sanctioned by certain countries, with the exception of the United States, which seems to have documented the cases made public. On October 22, 2022, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2653 (2022), establishing a sanctions regime in response to the security situation in Haiti. A committee composed of all its members was formed to monitor the implementation of the sanctions. This sanctions regime imposes a travel ban, asset freeze, and targeted arms embargo. Only gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, was sanctioned in 2022. The list now includes five gang leaders, among those considered the most formidable in the country. Gedeon Delva
