Canada’s ambassador to Haiti, Sebastien Carrière, has announced that his country will sanction former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers, Laurent Lamothe and Jean Henry Céant, for financing gangs in Haiti.
These sanctions come after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the behavior of Haitian politicians who are benefiting from the action of armed gangs that have been causing the country’s economic crisis for months.
«These people benefit directly from the work of the gangs and are associated with a system of corruption,» explained Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly.
«These gangs and their supporters terrorize vulnerable populations in Haiti and have precipitated the humanitarian crisis in the country, including the resurgence of cholera,» she said in a statement on her website.
«These groups commit unspeakable violence against affected populations, including widespread sexual violence, and impede the delivery of essential services,» she added.
Canada’s sanctions are aimed at stopping the flow of illicit capital and weapons to weaken and disable criminal gangs.
The names of Martelly, Lamothe and Céant join those of current Senator Rony Celestin, former Southern Senator Hervé Fourcand and former MP Gary Bodeau, sanctioned on November 19 with an order to freeze any foreign economic transactions.
