December 23, 2024
Judge Benjamin Ferismé of Port-au-Prince has summoned Raoul Pierre Louis, the former President of the Board of Directors of the National Credit Bank (NBC), for a hearing scheduled on November 14, 2024. This summons is part of an investigation into alleged acts of active corruption, based on the anti-corruption law of March 12, 2014. Other figures targeted in the case include Consul Lonick Léandre and three presidential advisors: Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles.
The investigation alleges that Pierre Louis was solicited to pay bribes in exchange for his reappointment as head of the BNC. A report from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) outlines demands for bribes, reportedly reaching up to 100 million gourdes, made by influential members of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC). Evidence supporting the investigation includes telephone exchanges and allegedly suspicious financial transactions.
The file also reveals a confidential meeting at the Royal Oasis Hotel in Pétion-Ville, during which Pierre Louis was reportedly asked to pay a substantial amount to secure his reappointment. Facing immediate financial constraints, he allegedly considered alternatives, including using NBC assets. The ULCC report also suggests that Lonick Léandre acted as an intermediary in these dealings, facilitating the issuance of pre-approved NBC credit cards to TPC members, appearing to satisfy the financial demands.
Additionally, sources close to the editorial team report that the TPC exerted considerable pressure on the Prime Minister, aiming to control the portfolios of the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs, currently headed by Carlos Hercule and Dominique Dupuy. This scandal could significantly impact Haiti’s political stability, compounding the challenges of governance and anti-corruption efforts in the country.