President-elect
Jovenel Moise has pledged to stamp out corruption and strengthen Haiti's legal
institutions, but even before taking office on Feb. 7, he faces a government
allegation of money laundering.
A political
newcomer, Moise was declared winner of the long-delayed election on Jan. 3 for
the Bald Heads Party of Haiti's last elected president Michel Martelly,
although opponents have said they will not accept his victory.
The Central
Unit of Financial Intelligence (UCREF), a government institution, concluded in
a report there were indications Moise had laundered money through a personal
account he held with his wife.
Moise denies
the allegation. He said Wednesday that he had hired a lawyer to help him clear
his name. The report is being reviewed by a judge.
"I am a
hard-working entrepreneur. I started from scratch but I have always acted with
honesty and integrity," Moise said in a phone interview.
"It is
a political maneuver. It is a form of blackmail as we are about to form the
government."
Moise has
said repeatedly that he would tackle graft, reform institutions and boost the
impoverished nation's economy.
UCREF
received its first tip against Moise in 2013, under the Martelly presidency.
The information in the report came directly from Haiti's financial
institutions, UCREF's head Sonel Jean-Francois told journalists.
FILE - A
mural feature senatorial candidate Guy Philippe in Pestel, Haiti, Aug. 25,
2016.
FILE - A
mural feature senatorial candidate Guy Philippe in Pestel, Haiti, Aug. 25,
2016.
The case
resurfaced in January after police arrested Moise ally and senator-elect Guy
Philippe, who was extradited to the United States to face charges of money
laundering and drug trafficking.
A group of
four senators sent a letter dated Jan. 16 to the president of the Senate,
suggesting the report be studied and receive "appropriate treatment"
before any inauguration.
The leaked
report said there had been more than $5 million in suspicious transfers made
through a personal account at the National Credit Bank between January 2012 and
April 2013.
Moise has
stated that he has a certificate proving the account was in gourdes, not
dollars, which would make the value of the transactions worth about 40 times
less.
The U.S.
State Department declined to comment on the allegations. The judge in the case
said he was scheduled to meet bank representatives Friday.
People
familiar with the case said it was unlikely to be settled before Moise takes
power, but would probably not derail his ascent.
"People
who don't like him will use it against him and people who support him will
[say] ... the report is fake," said Robert Fatton, a Haiti-born analyst at
the University of Virginia.
Photo credit:
VOA NEWS
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