OUSTED HAITIAN president Jean-Bertrand Aristide has disavowed all knowledge of the illegal activities allegedly performed by his ex-security chief Orel Jean during his employ in Aristide's administration.
Orel Jean was arrested at Toronto's Pearson International Airport last week after getting off a flight from the Dominican Republic. According to an article published in the Toronto Sun, Jean was in a holding cell after being detained while travelling with his wife, carrying US$17,000 in cash and a cheque for about US$300,000. He has since been arrested on drug trafficking charges.
"I have raised the issue in discussions with him, and Mr. Aristide said that the gentleman is merely a former employee and at the time of his arrest, he was no longer in his employ," Huntley Medley, the ex-president's local media liaison, told The Gleaner yesterday.
"Jean left the employ of Mr. Aristide last year, he was no longer a member of the security team, therefore it is not a matter for the president to address because he has no knowledge of any activities of Mr. Jean. He has no knowledge of why they would want to arrest Mr. Jean, and he feels that it is now a matter for the justice system to decide," Mr. Medley said.
In the past, the United States had often described Haiti, the impoverished Caribbean nation of eight million, as a 'path of minimal resistance' for narco-traffickers due to weak democratic institutions, corrupt officials and a fledgling police force.
Aristide left the country under questionable circumstances on February 29 amid international pressure to step down and a bloody rebellion that left more than 300 dead. The once popular slum priest, elected on promises to champion the poor, lost support as Haitians accused his government of corruption and attacks against his political opponents.
