Former Haiti President Aristide faces court today on corruption charges

Former president Jean Bertrand Aristide is due to appear before a judge here on Wednesday who is investigating allegations of corruption committed during Aristide’s 2001-2004 presidency.

The Port au Prince based Haitian Caribbean News Network (HCNN) said that had been summoned to appear before Judge Lamarre Belizaire to answer charges relating to acts of corruption, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, criminal conspiracy, among other accusations.

Aristide and several of his former colleagues have been accused of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars from the State through his organisation, Aristide for Democracy Foundation and other organisations.

Aristide, a former Roman Catholic priest, and his colleagues including Mirlande Liberus, Yvon Neptune, Jean Nesty Lucien and Gustave Faubert, have also been banned from leaving the country.

Judge Belizaire has refused to comment on the case for “legal and ethical reasons”.

Aristide has not commented on the ban and his political party has also not issued any statement on the issue.