The United States has imposed sanctions on former Haitian President, Michel Martelly, accusing him of involvement in drug trafficking and contributing to the ongoing instability and violence in Haiti.
According to CNN, the US Treasury Department alleges that Martelly leveraged his influence to aid drug trafficking operations into the United States.
Additionally, he is accused of laundering drug money, collaborating with Haitian drug traffickers, and supporting various gangs within Haiti.
The sanctions, announced on Tuesday, bar US institutions and individuals from engaging in financial transactions with Martelly.
“Today’s action against Martelly emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti,” said Bradley Smith, Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Treasury.
US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel remarked that the sanctions “demonstrate the United States’ unwavering resolve to promote accountability for all individuals whose activities contribute to gang violence and destabilize the political environment in Haiti, regardless of their rank or stature.”
Martelly, who served as Haiti’s president from 2011 to 2016, was previously sanctioned by Canada on November 17, 2022, for allegedly supporting or protecting criminal gangs.
Martelly is the most recent Haitian official to face US sanctions. In June 2023, former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe was sanctioned over allegations of misusing tens of millions of dollars, which he denied.
In November 2022, the US Treasury also imposed sanctions on former Haitian Senate President Joseph Lambert and ex-Senator Youri Latortue, accusing them of drug trafficking.
Latortue denied the accusations, and Lambert did not respond to CNN’s request for comment at the time.
