Haitian government orders to freeze accounts of internationally sanctioned individuals

Port-au-Prince.- The Minister of Justice of Haiti, Patrick Pelissier, ordered the immediate freezing of all bank accounts of political, economic, and social figures in the country sanctioned by the international community for their alleged participation in crimes such as drug trafficking or in the destabilization of the country, which has been mired for years in a deep crisis.

The decision is reflected in a letter sent by the minister to the prosecutor of Port-au-Prince, Frantz Monclair detailing the precautionary measures relating to the sanctioned persons, according to a statement.

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Pelissier also urged Monclair and “all specialized and financial control institutions” to investigate the financial activities of said persons.

Likewise, the minister stated that since last March, assistance has been requested from the embassies of the countries involved to transfer the files related to those personalities.

More than 30 personalities from Haiti have been sanctioned by countries such as the United States and Canada, including former President Michel Joseph Martelly, former Foreign Minister Laurent Lamothe, former parliamentarians Joseph Lambert, Youri Latortue, and Gary Bodeau.

Likewise, the leaders of armed gangs Jimmy Cherisier, alias Barbecue; Wilson Joseph, alias Lanmo San Jou and Vitel’Homme Innocent, as well as former deputy Prophane Victor, the only sanctioned individual sent to prison.

In the first three months of the year alone, 1,617 people died and another 580 were injured due to violence involving armed gangs, self-defense groups, and unorganized members of the population, as well as operations by security forces, according to data from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (Binuh).

In 2024, violence in Haiti caused at least 5,626 deaths (a thousand more than the previous year), 2,213 injuries, and 1,494 kidnappings, according to data verified by the UN, in a country with more than a million displaced people after having to abandon their homes due to insecurity.