Summoned as a witness in the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, former President Michel Joseph Martelly appeared on Monday, July 20, before the investigating judge of the Court of Appeal of Port-au-Prince, Jean Denis Cyprien.
Summoned as a witness in the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, former President Michel Joseph Martelly appeared before investigating judge Jean Denis Cyprien of the Port-au-Prince Court of Appeal on Monday, July 20. The hearing lasted nearly four hours. According to his lawyer, Mario Delcy, the former head of state answered all the magistrate’s questions. Cyprien was tasked with conducting further investigation after the Court of Appeal overturned the order issued by investigating judge Walter Wesser Voltaire.
Upon leaving the hearing, Michel Joseph Martelly remained very discreet and made no statement to the press. He was accompanied by his lawyer and his former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierre Richard Casimir.Due to the confidential nature of the investigation, Mr. Mario Delcy indicated that he was not authorized to reveal the content of his exchanges with the judge. He did, however, specify that the questions focused in particular on the functioning of the institutions surrounding the National Palace.
“Former President Martelly appeared as a witness. He has not been charged. Moreover, Judge Walter Wesser Voltaire did not charge him either when he questioned him in this case,” stated Mr. Delcy. According to him, his client wants the full truth to come out regarding the circumstances of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.
The lawyer also asserted that it was unprecedented in the country’s history for a former president to systematically respond to summonses from the justice system. “Michel Joseph Martelly is a citizen who respects the laws and judicial institutions of his country,” he declared.
This is the former president’s second appearance before an investigating judge in this case. On October 4, 2023, he had already been questioned by Judge Walter Wesser Voltaire, who was then in charge of the case.For approximately eight months, Judge Jean Denis Cyprien has been conducting further investigations. He has already questioned key figures in the case, including members of the opposition to the late President Moïse. He also heard testimony from the current head of the national police, André Jonas Vladimir Paraison. However, several individuals summoned for questioning failed to appear, notably the former Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH), Léon Charles, former Minister of the Interior Louis Gonzague Edner Day, and former First Lady Martine Moïse.
Following the hearing, about twenty activists close to former President Martelly greeted him with cheers in the courtyard of the Court of Appeal. The presence of Fednel Monchery, former Director General of the Ministry of the Interior and indicted in the La Saline massacre case, was also noted.
