Haitian authorities have detained several officials from the Fort-Liberté Prison as well as a court bailiff after one of the country’s most wanted prisoners walked out of the jail last weekend.
The authorities said that the head of the Fort-Liberté Prison, two police officers and the bailiff of the First Instance of Fort Liberté, had been detained after gang leader, Jean Samy Dorvil also known as “Ti Samy” was allowed to leave the prison on a promise of providing US$80,000 to them. The authorities have since launched a manhunt for Dorvil.
Those detained are accused of using forged documents to ensure the release of Dorvil, who had been accused of murder, armed robbery, rape and illegal possession of firearms.
The Commissioner of Fort-Liberté, Eno Zephyrin said that the investigation was ongoing and that other people might be implicated in the matter.
Last February, the United Nations Security Council published a report indicating that the judicial system in Haiti “continues to present serious structural weaknesses …and deep-rooted corruption remains a major obstacle”.
Meanwhile, the United States has maintained its maximum Alert level 4 for Haiti, warning that kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include US citizens.
“Kidnappers may use sophisticated planning or take advantage of unplanned opportunities, and even convoys have been attacked. Kidnapping cases often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed during kidnappings. Victims’ families have paid thousands of dollars to rescue their family members,” the United States Department of State said.
It said violent crime, such as armed robbery and carjacking, is common. Travelers are sometimes followed and violently attacked and robbed shortly after leaving the Port-au-Prince international airport. Robbers and carjackers also attack private vehicles stuck in heavy traffic congestion and often target lone drivers, particularly women.
Haitian citizens continue to protest for the government to do more to mitigate the high level of kidnappings of both foreigners and locals. In recent weeks the Haitian transportation system was shut down due to protests as rampant corruption continues to plague the violence-prone country.
CMC/
