Former DEA Informant Confesses Guilty Of Assassination Of Haitian President Jovenel Moise

JAKARTA - Former informant of the US Narcotics Eradication Agency (DEA) Joseph Vincent, pleaded guilty in a US court to his role in the assassination of the President of Haiti in 2021 which caused a power shortage to stability.

Vincent, a Haitian-American citizen, was among 11 defendants, including former Colombian soldiers and businessmen accused of helping supply funds and weapons, and carrying out a nightly attack on President Jovenel Moise's home in Port-au-Prince.

Vincent was arrested days after the attack with another Haitian-American, James Solages. The two men initially said they were employed by conspirators as translators.

At the time of the attack, gunmen were reportedly posing as DEA agents. Later, the DEA later said neither Vincent nor Solages had acted on behalf of the agency.

Submission to the court, signed by Vincent, stated he had provided material support and services to the plot, including advice on the political landscape and meetings with key community leaders.

At these meetings, the filing said, Vincent often wore US State Department pins which made people believe he was hired by the US government.

Vincent traveled to Haiti in early 2021 to support the efforts of Florida-based pastor and one of the defendants Christian Sanon to replace Moise, according to the filing. On the night of the attack, a passenger was in a vehicle driven by Solages to the president's house.

Vincent's guilty confession follows the confession of former Haitian Senator Joseph Joel John, retired Colombian army colonel German Rivera and Haitian-Chili citizen Rodolphe Jaar. His last name was accused of helping supply weapons and vehicles for the attack.

Jar and Rivera were both sentenced to life in prison, while John is expected to be sentenced on December 19.

Vincent, who is also facing a life sentence, will be sentenced on February 9.

It is known that President Jovenel Moise was killed in a brutal shooting at his residence on Wednesday, July 7 in the early hours of the morning. Meanwhile, Martine Moise, wife of the late President Moise who was also shot in the incident, was treated in Florida, United States and returned to Haiti after recovering.

Meanwhile, armed gangs who have committed violence have been massively expanding their territory in Haiti since 2021, sparking a humanitarian crisis that has left tens of thousands of people displaced amid reports of serious abuses including torture to mass kidnappings.