PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Haitian authorities have arrested a new suspect in the investigation into the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Moïse.
Defense lawyer Jimmy Jean-Baptiste said Macky Kessa, the mayor of the southern coastal city of Jacmel, was detained on Monday but has not been charged.
He said Kessa was being held at Haiti’s national prison in the capital, Port-au-Princeand, and that he plans to seek his release.
“Sorry, I can’t say much, but the main thing is that my client came to the investigating judge’s square, he spent about three hours answering the Magistrate’s questions, and after the hearing, he issued a deposition order against my client,” the lawyer said.
Kessa made a brief statement to the press to reiterate the secrecy of the instruction. “The hearing of any judge is secret. I couldn’t say anything because it is secret,” he added.
Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, who is investigating the case, has yet to comment.
He is expected to hear testimonies from several other new defendants later this week. He has already sent a letter to the government commissioner of Port-au-Prince, Edler Guillaume, asking him to take all necessary measures to ensure the appearance of those requested people in his office.
More than 40 suspects have been arrested since Moise was shot and killed at his private residence overlooking the capital. His wife, Martine Moise, was also injured during the attack and had to be flown to the United States for medical treatment.
The authorities have detained 18 former Colombian soldiers accused of taking part in the plot and several high-ranking Haitian police officers.
So far, 11 suspects have been extradited to the U.S., with two of them already sentenced.
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