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Haitian-American pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon went on trial Monday in Miami, Florida, over allegations that he helped plan the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, according to US prosecutors.
Sanon faces eight charges, including conspiracy to kidnap or kill a person outside the United States. Prosecutors allege that he helped finance the plot and arranged travel and accommodation for himself and others involved.
What prosecutors allege
According to an indictment, the alleged plan began in April 2021, when Sanon met in South Florida with a former Haitian senator and US businesspeople.
Moise was killed on July 7, 2021, after armed men entered his home in Port-au-Prince and shot him. His wife, Martine Moise, was wounded in the attack.
The assassination was followed by a significant expansion of armed gang control across Haiti.
US investigation and Haiti proceedings
More than 40 people have been charged in the United States in connection with the killing, while 12 have been convicted, US authorities said. Five of those convicted are serving life sentences.
The US case expanded this year after authorities charged 30 additional suspects and transferred 18 defendants from Haitian custody to the United States. They include Joseph Felix Badio, a former Haitian government official accused of involvement in the assassination, and 17 former Colombian soldiers alleged to have taken part in the operation.
Proceedings in Haiti have been repeatedly delayed. Judges have resigned from the case over security concerns, while armed gangs seized control of the courthouse in central Port-au-Prince.
Haiti’s political and security crisis
Haiti has had no elected president since Moise’s assassination and is preparing for presidential elections scheduled for December.
The country continues to face widespread gang violence. Thousands of people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced in recent years.
