Terrorism Financing: DCPJ Issues Wanted Notices Against Officials

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— A new level has been reached in the fight against armed criminal networks in Haiti. The Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) issued, this Thursday, wanted notices targeting prominent political figures, suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism financing, attacks, conspiracy against the internal security of the State, criminal association, and money laundering. Among the individuals actively sought are the interim mayor of Port-au-Prince, Ralph Youry Chévry, former deputy Arnel Bélizaire, as well as an individual identified as Smith Joseph. According to sources close to the case, these wanted notices are the result of several months of confidential investigations into alleged connections between political actors, clandestine financial networks, and armed groups operating in the national territory. Suspicions of Politico-Criminal Collusion According to information gathered by the judicial police, the individuals implicated allegedly, directly or through intermediaries, facilitated financial flows intended to support terrorist activities. These mechanisms are believed to have contributed to strengthening the operational capacity of armed networks responsible for repeated violence, targeted attacks, and chronic insecurity in several strategic areas of the country. Ralph Youry Chévry's name holds a central place in this explosive case. Law enforcement conducted at least two operations at his home in Canapé-Vert, in attempts to apprehend him, which remained unsuccessful. These failures raise many questions about the means of protection that some suspects might benefit from and the true extent of complicity within the politico-administrative apparatus. Arnel Bélizaire, for his part, is known to the correctional system for illegal possession of firearms and financing criminal activities. His name was implicated in a case involving the rental of weapons to gangs in La Saline as part of the massacre perpetrated in that neighborhood. A High-Tension Investigation The charges brought by the DCPJ reflect the exceptional gravity of the alleged acts. For investigators, it is no longer merely ordinary criminality, but a structured system of financing and logistical support for terrorist enterprises, directly threatening institutional stability and national security. The DCPJ affirms that it is relentlessly pursuing its investigations and does not rule out further developments in the coming days. Police authorities are issuing an urgent appeal to anyone holding credible information that could advance the investigation, inviting them to cooperate with justice. As the security crisis continues to suffocate the capital and several regions of the country, this case could mark a major turning point, by bringing to light, for the first time, the dangerous links between political power and armed networks in Haiti. Jean Mapou / Le Relief