International Anti-Corruption Day: ULCC Presents Damning Report and Calls for Action from Judicial Hubs
– The Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) commemorated International Anti-Corruption Day this Tuesday, December 9, 2025, bringing together state authorities, international partners, and civil society actors around the theme « Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Integrity
By Jean Wesley Pierre · Port-au-Prince
· 3 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
PORT-AU-PRINCE –
The Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) commemorated International Anti-Corruption Day this Tuesday, December 9, 2025, bringing together state authorities, international partners, and civil society actors around the theme « Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity ». The event was an opportunity to present a quantified assessment of the damages suffered by the State and to reiterate the urgency of making specialized judicial hubs operational. Financial Damage Estimated at Over 2.3 Billion Gourdes The ULCC presented the conclusions of 63 investigation reports conducted between 2020 and 2025, concerning acts of embezzlement of public property, illegal taking of interest, and illicit enrichment. These investigations report direct damage to the State estimated at 1,423,329,126.43 gourdes, to which is added a loss of earnings of 964,256,507.39 gourdes, bringing the total damage to nearly 2.4 billion gourdes. An « Alarming » National Assessment of Widespread Corruption The Director General of the ULCC, Me Jacques Hans Ludwig Joseph, cited the results of a recent diagnostic survey, describing the situation as « alarming and worrying ». According to this survey, 92.76% of the Haitian population believes that corruption is omnipresent. This sentiment is shared by 89.92% of civil servants and 96% of NGOs, who estimate that the level of corruption is very high. Me Joseph denounced the trivialization of these acts, which he called « an enemy of the nation ». Authorities Call for Judicial Action and Education The coordinator of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), Laurent St-Cyr, highlighted the consequences of corruption on youth, deprived of their rights and opportunities. He encouraged the inclusion of integrity education in schools and universities, while commending the work of the ULCC. « No one is untouchable, but investigations must not be persecutions or vendettas, » he declared, reaffirming his determination to strengthen anti-corruption measures. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alfred Metellus, for his part, presented reforms undertaken by his ministry, notably the modernization of budgetary management and the deployment of financial controllers in the ten geographical departments. He reiterated his commitment to rigorous and transparent use of public resources. Operationalization of Judicial Hubs, a Reiterated Priority A point of consensus among all speakers was the need to make fully operational the two recently created judicial hubs specializing in financial crimes and mass crimes. Laurent St-Cyr urged judicial authorities to assume their responsibilities to curb impunity. Me Joseph requested « judicial treatment for all cases forwarded to justice ». This call was strongly echoed by international partners. The Head of Political Affairs and Good Governance at the United Nations Integrated Office (BINUH), Sancho Coutinho, advocated for a rapid and complete operationalization of these hubs, through the assignment of magistrates, the securing of premises, and targeted training. The Ambassador of Canada to Haiti, André François Giroux, also welcomed the creation of these structures and renewed his country's support in this fight. The commemoration thus served as a platform to draw a severe assessment of the grip of corruption and to call for concrete judicial action, considered the next indispensable step to translate investigations into verdicts.
The Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) commemorated International Anti-Corruption Day this Tuesday, December 9, 2025, bringing together state authorities, international partners, and civil society actors around the theme « Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow's Integrity ». The event was an opportunity to present a quantified assessment of the damages suffered by the State and to reiterate the urgency of making specialized judicial hubs operational. Financial Damage Estimated at Over 2.3 Billion Gourdes The ULCC presented the conclusions of 63 investigation reports conducted between 2020 and 2025, concerning acts of embezzlement of public property, illegal taking of interest, and illicit enrichment. These investigations report direct damage to the State estimated at 1,423,329,126.43 gourdes, to which is added a loss of earnings of 964,256,507.39 gourdes, bringing the total damage to nearly 2.4 billion gourdes. An « Alarming » National Assessment of Widespread Corruption The Director General of the ULCC, Me Jacques Hans Ludwig Joseph, cited the results of a recent diagnostic survey, describing the situation as « alarming and worrying ». According to this survey, 92.76% of the Haitian population believes that corruption is omnipresent. This sentiment is shared by 89.92% of civil servants and 96% of NGOs, who estimate that the level of corruption is very high. Me Joseph denounced the trivialization of these acts, which he called « an enemy of the nation ». Authorities Call for Judicial Action and Education The coordinator of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), Laurent St-Cyr, highlighted the consequences of corruption on youth, deprived of their rights and opportunities. He encouraged the inclusion of integrity education in schools and universities, while commending the work of the ULCC. « No one is untouchable, but investigations must not be persecutions or vendettas, » he declared, reaffirming his determination to strengthen anti-corruption measures. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alfred Metellus, for his part, presented reforms undertaken by his ministry, notably the modernization of budgetary management and the deployment of financial controllers in the ten geographical departments. He reiterated his commitment to rigorous and transparent use of public resources. Operationalization of Judicial Hubs, a Reiterated Priority A point of consensus among all speakers was the need to make fully operational the two recently created judicial hubs specializing in financial crimes and mass crimes. Laurent St-Cyr urged judicial authorities to assume their responsibilities to curb impunity. Me Joseph requested « judicial treatment for all cases forwarded to justice ». This call was strongly echoed by international partners. The Head of Political Affairs and Good Governance at the United Nations Integrated Office (BINUH), Sancho Coutinho, advocated for a rapid and complete operationalization of these hubs, through the assignment of magistrates, the securing of premises, and targeted training. The Ambassador of Canada to Haiti, André François Giroux, also welcomed the creation of these structures and renewed his country's support in this fight. The commemoration thus served as a platform to draw a severe assessment of the grip of corruption and to call for concrete judicial action, considered the next indispensable step to translate investigations into verdicts.
