Arms Trafficking in Haiti: Jean Édouard Baussan, NOT GUILTY

Port-au-Prince, December 4, 2025 — In a judicial landscape marked by delays, contradictions, and a profound lack of public trust, the case related to alleged arms trafficking had, at the time, brought an individual into the spotlight: Jean Édouard Baussan. The file examined by the investigating chamber on April 1, 2020, revealed a succession of declarations, summonses, and clarifications that both raised questions and shed light on the investigation's mechanisms. An investigation launched based on an unproven link According to a police report published on December 30, 2019, a possible link was said to exist between the main defendant, Dumont Franck Aby Larco, and businessman Jean Édouard Baussan. However, this link had neither been detailed nor documented. Furthermore, no document in the initial file transmitted to the investigating magistrate mentioned Baussan. During his hearing, Aby Larco stated that he did not know Edouard Baussan, simply saying he had heard his name among UNIBANK associates, but had never had any dealings with him. Jean Édouard Baussan, a limited role according to his statements The investigating magistrate then summoned Edouard Baussan, who presented himself not as an official of the National Port Authority (APN), but as a shipping agent, authorized to work within the port area and to serve as an interface between the APN and customs. Questioned about the MV Century vessel, central to the arms trafficking suspicions, the businessman described his role as strictly technical. He stated in writing that he would provide the complete list of “Century” ships that had called at Port-au-Prince, including dates, cargo, responsible agents, and ports of origin. On January 29, 2020, his lawyer, Me Samuel Madistin, indeed transmitted the MV Century's bills of lading to the investigating magistrate, tracing the vessel's cargo. Baussan denied any relationship with Aby Larco and firmly rejected the idea of any link, even issuing a public challenge to anyone who wished to prove otherwise. Dumont Franck Aby Larco, the National Palace's armorer consultant Aby Larco stated that he was a consultant and armorer at the National Palace, specifying that the security chief had entrusted him with three firearms for his protection. The police report also mentioned an individual named Junior Rouling, described as a seller of drugs, weapons, and ammunition, presented as an associate of Aby Larco. The police also maintained that Port Lafito could have served as a disembarkation point for the weapons related to the case. The text, however, emphasized that this port did not belong to Jean Édouard Baussan. The final indictment: important distinctions The final indictment of March 27, 2020, brought a notable conclusion:
For Edouard Baussan and Junior Tibul, alias Junior Routing:
→ The government commissioner believed that no serious evidence allowed for their implication.
For Dumont Franck Aby Larco:
→ The commissioner had requested his referral to the criminal court for arms trafficking, illegal possession, and complicity.
→ The other defendants were also to be referred for having, according to the conclusion, assisted Aby Larco in his actions. A case symptomatic of the challenges facing Haitian justice This case illustrated the complexity of investigations into arms trafficking in Haiti:
lack of initial documentation, contradictions between reports, divergent statements, and nuanced conclusions from judicial authorities. While Jean Édouard Baussan's name had drawn attention from the outset, the judicial investigation ultimately concluded that no conclusive evidence allowed for his implication in the acts attributed to Aby Larco.