Guy Philippe, former coup leader wanted by US, wins Haiti senate seat

The DEA’s decade-old arrest warrant accuses the rebel leader in 2004 coup d’état of cocaine trafficking and money laundering, charges Philippe has denied.Guy Philippe defeated all other candidates in second round of elections, held 20 November, for the south-western Grand Anse region. Photograph: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP

Reuters in Port-au-Prince

Monday 5 December 2016 17.20 EST

A former coup leader wanted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration for alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering has won election to Haiti’s senate, according to preliminary results released by the electoral council.

Guy Philippe defeated all other candidates in the second round of elections, held on 20 November, for the south-western Grand Anse region, which is still recovering from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Matthew.

“Victory, thank you Grand Anse,” said a message posted on Philippe’s Facebook page late on Sunday. “My fellow compatriots, together we will accomplish and live a patriotic act of faith.”

In Haiti, losing candidates have a period in which to file complaints about the results. If Philippe’s win stands, he will take office for a six-year term early next year.

In 2004, the former police officer, who Human Rights Watch said had overseen unlawful killings, was a prominent figure in a coup d’état against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

His election underscores political turmoil in impoverished Haiti, which is still struggling to establish democratic institutions more than 20 years after it threw off a dictatorship.

The DEA has a longstanding arrest warrant against Philippe and lists him as one of its most wanted fugitives, accusing him of conspiracy to import cocaine and launder monetary instruments. He has denied the accusations and said the US has no legal jurisdiction to make arrests in Haiti.

DEA agents backed by Haitian police made a failed bid to arrest Philippe in 2007. He was not at home when the agents showed up. A US embassy spokesman said it had no official position on Philippe’s electoral victory. The DEA was not immediately available for comment.

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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG

Time to clarify a few things.

There was a time when the DEA sent a team to Haiti, aimed at arresting the Aristide mayor of Miragoane. He was a big cocaine trafficker and had a hotel there.

Rene Preval was President, at the time, and got the DEA team to add Guy Philippe’s name to the operation, without any sort of authority.
The team descended upon Guy Philippe’s house, when he was absent, and roughed up his wife and children, while searching the house. Guy’s wife is American.

Subsequently, as before, Guy offered to take a polygraph to prove he was not involved in the cocaine traffic. The American embassy refused, saying he had to go to Miami to do this.

How absurd.

Guy has maintained, and many,  involved in the American action agree, that he has not been involved with the cocaine business. In fact, the warrant was the result of Lavalas oriented DEA people in Miami who created the charges. They have since been promoted to Washington, where they keep the charade alive.

Haiti, and the International Community, owes Guy Philippe a major debt for mounting the almost bloodless removal of Aristide in 2004.

Fo some reason President George Bush awarded the Distinguishe Service Medal to Guy Philippe for his 2004 action.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Distinguished_Service_Medal

Only the President of the United States can award this medal to a foreigner. It was the highest military decoration awarded President Dwight Eisenhower when he was a 5 Star General.

There must be a message here somewhere.