December 23, 2024
PORT-AU-PRINCE, JULY 30, 2024 – A recent press release from Ensemble Contre la Corruption (ECC), a coalition of eight human rights organizations including the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), Sant Karl Lévêque (SKL), and the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH), highlights the seriousness of the corruption scandal involving three members of the Presidential Transitional Council: Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire, and Louis Gérald Gilles. This case, which came to light last week, reports serious acts of corruption punishable by Haitian law.
The ECC press release strongly denounces this scandal, stating that the revelations tarnish the image of the Presidential Council and undermine trust between the institution and the population. According to ECC, this scandal constitutes a “fatal blow to public integrity and the responsibility of public ordering officers,” thus compromising the relationship of the Haitian nation with the international community, notably through the United Nations Convention against Corruption. This scandal is also seen as a flagrant example of poor ethics and public integrity within the civil service.
To restore serenity within the Presidential Council, ECC recommends immediate moral sanctions against the advisors concerned. Members not involved in the scandal are invited to isolate the accused individuals from all official decisions until appropriate sanctions are applied.
ECC also suggests that the sectors they represent make the reasonable decision to replace the accused individuals with figures worthy of the high office of the State, pending the results of judicial investigations. It emphasizes that public perception is crucial in politics and that the perceived integrity of the members of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) must be preserved.
ECC welcomes the decision of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Credit Bank (BNC, a state bank) to bring the matter to public attention and refer it to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC). However, ECC points out that the ULCC, although responsible for combating corruption, does not have repressive jurisdictional powers. It is responsible for conducting administrative investigations, protecting public property, and promoting transparency in public management. It is then up to the courts to decide on appropriate sanctions against the councilor-presidents involved.