MJSAC: A Well-Oiled System of Embezzlement, According to the ECC

The organization Ensemble Contre la Corruption (ECC) exposes a complex network of embezzlement within the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Civic Action (MJSAC). Between fictitious contracts, extortion of young people, and opaque management, the report directly points to the responsibility of Minister Niola Lynn Sarah Devalis Octavius. The Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Civic Action is shaken by damning revelations. In a report recently published this July, the ECC describes a misguided administration where public resources are systematically used for personal gain. The ministry's operations now appear to serve private interests to the detriment of Haitian youth. The investigation's findings, conducted between June 4 and 30, 2025, are based on the testimonies of 21 individuals, including current employees, former agents, and program beneficiaries. The ECC specifically highlights major irregularities in the management of public funds and a complete lack of internal control. At the heart of the scandal: two institutional bank cards regularly used for personal expenses. Loaded with millions of gourdes each month, these cards were initially intended to cover the ministry's administrative needs. According to several employees interviewed, they are actually used to finance purchases unrelated to the institution's mission. Significant discrepancies in fuel management were also observed. Monthly expenses allocated to this item doubled, reaching nearly six million gourdes, even as employee allowances were considerably reduced. This situation repeatedly paralyzed the ministry's activities, particularly due to unsupplied generator failures. The ECC also denounces irregular disbursements of over 13 million gourdes in 2025 to companies such as Caribbean Office Supply, CATCO Services, TECHWARE, and Copy Smart. Payment slips were signed and validated, but none of the supposedly purchased equipment was ever delivered. The report also highlights a contract for over one million gourdes awarded to GER Consult, a company led by a former member of the ministerial cabinet, without a call for tenders or regular procedure. National holidays also served as cover for opaque expenditures. In May 2025, 50 million gourdes were disbursed for Flag Day. However, no accountability report was produced, neither on the organization of activities nor on the amounts used for printing flags. Another troubling element: the dubious management of funds allocated to the commemoration of the Battle of Vertières in November 2024. Ten million gourdes, intended for this celebration, were transferred to a personal accountant's account at the direct request of the minister. A large portion of this sum was then handed over in cash to one of her relatives, without any supporting documentation. The ECC also revealed the disappearance of several checks intended for contractors and former employees. Twelve workers never received their salaries, even though their checks had been retrieved from the Ministry of Finance by a collaborator of the minister. More seriously, 79 checks for former employees and eleven issued in the names of deceased individuals were fraudulently cashed. In total, nearly 2.7 million gourdes are said to have disappeared from the institution's accounts. Young beneficiaries of the PASOJEPS program have not escaped this embezzlement scheme. This program, which aimed to mobilize youth around civic projects and peace promotion, has transformed into a racketeering network. Several young people claim to have been forced to pay up to 60% of their compensation to receive their payment. Over 200 beneficiaries are reportedly still awaiting their due. The report also notes an attempt to organize a trip for the minister's relatives to the United States as part of the 2025 Gold Cup, even though no young people or athletes were planned for the official delegation. For the ECC, the current management of the MJSAC is part of a systemic corruption scheme that deprives Haitian youth of the opportunities they are entitled to. The organization recommends urgent measures, ranging from the restitution of embezzled funds to the implementation of deep structural reforms. It also calls for a judicial investigation to bring those responsible to justice and to refocus the ministry's mission on public interest. Meanwhile, sports federations are suffering from funding problems to organize activities or even participate in international competitions, such as the women's national football team or even the Haitian Socca team, which is expected to participate in the Copa America from July 23 to July 27, still complaining about funding issues in various capital media outlets. The Editorial Board