June 14, 2025

Episcopal Church Arms Shipment: Court of Appeal Overturns Initial Ruling and Reopens Investigation

June 8, 2025

On Monday, June 2, 2025, the Port-au-Prince Court of Appeal overturned the controversial ruling issued by Judge Marthel Jean-Claude, which had dismissed any responsibility of Fathers Fritz Désiré and Frantz Cole in the July 14, 2022, arms trafficking scandal. The court cited serious flaws in the initial investigation and ordered the case to be fully reopened.

Judge Noé Masillon Pierre is now tasked with restarting the investigation, amid growing concerns about a lack of transparency in the initial proceedings. While the case is reassessed, the two priests and other suspects remain in custody.

The annulled ruling had initially cleared eighteen individuals, including prominent figures from the Episcopal Church of Haiti, despite serious allegations such as arms trafficking, tax evasion, and criminal conspiracy. This judicial reversal casts renewed light on the dark intersections between religion, smuggling, and justice in one of Haiti’s most explosive ongoing cases.

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