Assassination of Jovenel Moïse: businessman Rodolphe Jaar sentenced to life imprisonment
He pleaded guilty last March to his active participation in the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse nearly two years ago. Chilean-Haitian businessman Rodolphe Jaar was sentenced to the heaviest sentence, life imprisonment, this Friday, June 1 in Florida.
Image of Haitian President Jovenel Moise during a tribute ceremony in Port-au-Prince on July 20, 2021. © AFP - VALERIE BAERISWYL
Text by: RFI Follow
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Rodolphe Jaar, 50, had admitted to providing money and weapons to the commando, who, on the night of July 7, 2021, broke into the home of the former Haitian president to kill him. Last March, Rodolphe Jaar, already convicted 10 years ago for drug trafficking, admitted to having participated in the plot and provided material support for the assassination of Jovenel Moïse.
Rodolphe Jaar was the first of the suspects to plead guilty among the dozen awaiting trial in the United States in this case. Among his co-defendants are other businessmen, former members of the Colombian armed forces, and even a former Haitian senator.
Weapons and housing provided to Colombian mercenaries
According to the indictment, Rodolphe Jaar provided weapons and accommodation to the Colombian mercenaries. The man extradited from the Dominican Republic last January had hoped for clemency from the judge by promising to cooperate to help solve a complex case. But his confession ultimately did not lighten his sentence.
After a 10-minute hearing, Federal Judge José Martinez handed down the maximum sentence. Rodolphe Jaar has two weeks to appeal.
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Read on on the same topics:
- Haiti
- United States
- Jovenel Moses