The third suspect in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise goes to court in the US

Former Haitian President Jovenel Moise – Photo: BLOOMBERG

Joseph Joel John, 51, a Haitian citizen was extradited from Jamaica to the United States on May 6 to face criminal charges in connection with the United States Department of Justice, according to a May 9 announcement by the US Department of Justice. regarding the case Assassination of the President of HaitiJovenel Moise.

Suspect Joseph Joel John, first appeared in court on the afternoon of May 9 before Judge Lauren Louis, in Miami.

The US Attorney’s office said John was charged with conspiring to organize murder or kidnapping outside the United States and providing material support for a commando operation against the president of Haiti.

Mr. John is the third person to appear in court in Miami for the assassination of the late President Moise on July 7, 2021 in Port-au-Prince.

The US justice system has said it has jurisdiction in the case as part of a plot to assassinate the late President Moise allegedly planned in Florida.

The other two suspects detained in the US are Mario Palacios, a retired Colombian army officer, and Rodolphe Jaar, a Chilean-Haitian businessman.

Both have been detained in Miami since January 2022 after being extradited from Panama and the Dominican Republic to the US, respectively.

Last month, suspect Palacios, 43, insisted he was innocent. The other, Jaar, 49, has not yet appeared in court.

If convicted by a court, all three suspects face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Palacios is accused of being one of 26 Colombian mercenaries involved in the assassination of Mr. Moise at his home in Port-au-Prince. His wife Martine was also shot and wounded in the incident.

Who or which side is the mastermind of the assassination is still a mystery.