One of the main suspects in Haitian President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination, businessman Rodolphe Jaar, pleaded not guilty to the deceased leader’s assassination in a Miami federal court on July 6.
According to the Associated Press, Jaar was charged with conspiracy to commit murder or kidnapping outside the United States and with providing material support resulting in death. If he’s convicted, he will reportedly face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Judge Chris M. McAliley accepted the 49-year-old’s plea and his request for a jury trial, the news outlet indicated. His plea arrived just one year after Moïse was assassinated in his home last July, as a group of individuals allegedly consisting of Haitian police officers, former Colombian soldiers, and others stormed the house and killed him. His wife, Martine Moïse, was shot, but she survived by pretending to be dead, and weeks after the tragic incident, she told the The New York Times that her husband’s killers searched his files before fleeing with his documents in hand.
The politician’s assassination reportedly resulted from alleged corruption in Haiti.
Jaar, a dual citizen of Haiti and Chile, was then detained in the Dominican Republic and brought to the U.S. in January. Shortly after, he was thrown into federal prison in South Florida, where he currently remains, as U.S. officials said he agreed to be transferred to Miami to face charges.
Three defendants are involved in the Miami case in total, including Jaar, former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph, and former Colombian soldier Mario Palacios. Joseph and Palacios reportedly face the exact charges as Jaar.
The Haitian government also arrested over 40 suspects, including 18 former Colombian soldiers.
“The United States continues to staunchly support the pursuit of justice and accountability for those who planned, financed, and perpetrated this terrible crime,” U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken wrote in a statement released on the anniversary of Moïse’s death.
