Guy Philippe, the former leader of the coup in Haiti, has been deported by the U.S back to his Caribbean country after spending almost six years in jail there on suspicion of money laundering related to drug trafficking in Colombia.
According to a police source, Philippe, a former police officer who spearheaded the 2004 overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and went on to win a senatorial seat in the remote Grand’Anse area, is presently being held in a police facility close to the capital’s main airport.
It was unclear whether Philippe would be detained indefinitely.
According to reports, Philippe was arrested and turned over to the US Drug Enforcement Administration shortly before his inauguration as a senator in 2017. He was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Miami judge, but he was released in early September.
He initially pleaded not guilty, claiming that the US had ‘kidnapped’ him because of his political beliefs. He later changed his plea in exchange for avoiding a longer US sentence.
In a statement late last year arguing for his early release, Philippe said he was “looking forward to returning to Haiti and participating in the betterment of his community” in Pestel, on the country’s southern peninsula.
President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home four years after Philippe’s arrest, leaving a political vacuum that facilitated the emergence of extremely violent armed gangs that now control a sizable portion of the nation and are causing a grave humanitarian crisis.
Since the late senators’ terms ended in January, Haiti has operated without a legitimate government. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has promised to hold much-anticipated elections as soon as security is restored.
In an effort to underscore the significance of moving forward with holding free and fair elections, the UN has issued an urgent call for nations to contribute troops to a force that has been approved by the UN in order to assist Haiti’s outgunned police.
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