PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
Former justice official Joseph Badio, suspected in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, was arrested in Port-au-Prince after being on the run for over two years. Badio worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice and the government’s anti-corruption unit before being fired for alleged ethics violations.
Moïse was shot 12 times at his private home in July 2021, causing a political crisis in Haiti. Prosecutors in the US allege a conspiracy among conspirators in Haiti and Florida to hire mercenaries to remove Moïse and gain contracts from a successor administration.
Former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph has pleaded guilty to charges related to the assassination of 18 former Colombian soldiers in Haiti, and was extradited to the U.S. in June.
Two other people have also pleaded guilty, with Rodolphe Jaar sentenced to life in prison and German Alejandro Rivera Garcia set for October 27. Haiti has experienced a surge of gang violence since the assassination, leading the prime minister to request the deployment of an armed force.
