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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=left><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">National Human Rights Defense Network
(RNDDH)</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=left><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=2>Summary Press Statement, 23 May
2006</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></B> </P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><U>Head of Corruption Investigation Unit Arrested and
Detained under Suspicious Circumstances</U> </SPAN></B></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></B></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH)
strongly questions the real motives behind the suspicious 22 May 2006 arrest and
detention of Mr. Jean Yves Noël, Director-General of the Central Financial
Enquiry Unit (UCREF), as ordered by Investigating Judge Jean Perez
Paul.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">According to Mr. Noël, he was summoned to the office
of Justice Perez Paul at 4:10 pm on 22 May 2006.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Upon arrival and without any
questioning, Mr. Noël was immediately issued detention papers (allegedly dated 2
May 2006) and subsequently taken to the National Penitentiary where he is being
detained on charges of the illegal arrest, kidnapping, and illegal confinement
of Réginald Saint-Jean, a bailiff of the courts.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Established by the interim government in 2004, the
Central Financial Enquiry Unit (UCREF) was created with the principal objective
to investigate and report on allegations of corruption and money laundering
(including drug trafficking cases) within the country, at a governmental level
as well as at the level of civil society. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The most cited results of UCREF’s work
has been the publication of two (2) investigative reports in 2005, the first on
the activities of the <I>Aristide Foundation for Democracy</I> published on 18
May 2005, and the second on the activities of the Aristide Presidency from
February 2001 – February 2004, published in July 2005.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Each report identified serious
activities of corruption which resulted in the draining of the public treasury,
and subsequently identified those responsible for such activities.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Numerous high-level officials in the
Lavalas government have been implicated in the scandals.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In response to the reports, Justice Jean Ostrick
Hercule, assigned to work on the corruption files in cooperation with UCREF, put
a hold on several individual bank accounts in order to block further transfer of
funds.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>On 5 December 2005, an
illegal attempt was made, allegedly by Mr. Reginald Saint-Jean with the use of
fake documentation, to have the hold on a number of these accounts lifted.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The fraud was uncovered and the accounts
remained frozen.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>No legal action
was taken against Mr. Saint-Jean despite a public denunciation by the State
Prosecutor’s Office.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In a strange turn of events, on 24 April 2006,
Justice Hercule issued a ruling to lift the hold on the frozen accounts under
the pretext that errors were made in the manner in which the case was prepared
and submitted.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>All accounts are unfrozen and no public legal action as been taken
against anyone identified as implicated in the corruption scandals.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Then just one (1) month later, the
Director General of UCREF, the instance responsible for uncovering the
corruption, is arrested and sent to prison on kidnapping and illegal confinement
charges.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">RNDDH cannot help but ask a number of pressing
questions:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><I>why the sudden change
in behaviour of Justice Hercule after two (2) years of working on these
particular corruption cases?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In
whose interest was Mr. Noël arrested? Was he not arrested simply for doing his
job?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What kind of judicial system
arrests and detains those working to uncover corruption and grants immunity and
protection to alleged thieves and criminals?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Is this a sign that impunity and
corruption will continue to prevail in the country, hidden under the guise of
justice?</I><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="COLOR: red; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">RNDDH is extremely concerned about the safety and
well-being of Mr. Noël.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>During a
visit with Mr. Noël at the National Penitentiary on 23 May 2006, RNDDH learned
that he is sharing a cell with sixteen (16) other inmates, nine (9) of whom are
being detained on drug trafficking charges, fortunately none of whom are being
investigated by UCREF.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, Mr.
Noël did indicate that he cell is in close proximity to three (3) other inmates
whose cases UCREF has been involved in investigating and
denouncing.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In the interests of justice, RNDDH calls upon
judicial authorities to authorize the immediate release of Mr. Jean Yves
Noël.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Furthermore, RNDDH challenges
judicial officials to act with integrity and respond to the mission with which
they are charged by taking public action against those identified in the UCREF
reports as being implicated in serious acts of
corruption.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>