3 Haitian council members charged with bribery | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An anti-corruption agency in Haiti on Wednesday accused three members of the country's interim presidential council of bribery in a damning report that threatens to destabilize the country's fragile political stability.

Smith Augustin, Emmanuel Vertilaire and Louis Gérald Gilles are accused of demanding more than $750,000 from the director of the state-owned National Bank of Credit to secure his job, the anti-corruption unit said in its report.

“The message is clear. “No one is above the laws of our republic!” said Hans Joseph, the head of the unit, as he detailed the corruption allegations during a press conference where he presented the report.

Behind him stood at least half a dozen investigators wearing caps and face masks, whose identities were kept secret.

The report is a major blow to the nine-member council and is likely to further undermine people's trust in it. The council was appointed earlier this year after targeted gang violence forced the country's former prime minister to resign, leaving Haiti without a leader. The council works with new Prime Minister Garry Conille and is tasked with helping run the country.

It was not immediately clear whether the council would take action against the three members, who did not return messages seeking comment.

Impunity remains widespread in Haiti, even as the anti-corruption unit continues to crack down on government officials.

The agency accused Gilles of organizing a meeting on May 25 between council members, former bank director Raoul Pascal Pierre-Louis and Haitian consul Lonick Léandre at the Royal Oasis Hotel in the capital Port-au-Prince, where the demand was for made more than $750,000.

According to the report, Pierre-Louis told investigators that Gilles and Léandre took his phone and those of others present before the meeting began. “At first I thought it was a joke,” he was quoted as saying.

After the meeting, Pierre-Louis mentioned the demand to several officials, including Prime Minister Garry Conille and a judge.

Pierre-Louis then scheduled a second meeting at his house “to continue the discussions,” with only Augustin and Gilles attending. According to the report, Pierre-Louis was unable to raise the over $750,000 and instead suggested arranging loans or lines of credit. Pictures of the dinner were later provided to investigators.

Authorities said four lines of credit were soon agreed upon, three of up to $20,000 each for the accused council members and a fourth of up to $13,500 for Léandre.

The three council members and the bank manager all face criminal charges of bribery and corruption, the anti-corruption unit said. Léandre is charged with solicitation of bribes. None of them could be reached for comment.

A judge is now expected to review the report's findings and issue arrest warrants if necessary.

Augustin was previously Haitian ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Gilles is a former senator and Vertilaire is a former investigating judge.

The report said all five denied the allegations, adding that Vertilaire told investigators: “It would be absurd on my part to ask for money from someone I don't even know, from someone I don't know.” “I saw it for the first time.”

The agency also called on the US government to extradite Pierre-Louis.