Haiti police investigate prominent businessman for alleged role in kidnapping ring-Added COMMENTARY By Haitian-Truth

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Police detectives are investigating the son of one of Haiti’s prominent families for his alleged role at the center of a kidnapping ring, authorities said Wednesday.

Police spokesman Frantz Lerebours said businessman Clifford Brandt was locked up Monday on suspicion of involvement in kidnapping two children of another family in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Lerebours said Brandt took investigators to the place where the children were being held and police freed them.

Detectives also jailed two alleged accomplices suspected of driving a Toyota Land Cruiser to carry out the kidnapping. The two suspects were caught as they tried to cross the border into the neighboring Dominican Republic, Lerebours said.

Brandt runs a car dealership and is the son Fritz Brandt, head of a prominent Haitian family that has extensive holdings in export-import businesses.

Secretary of State for Public Security Reginald Delva told Scoop FM radio that the kidnapper demanded more than $2 million for the release of the two abducted children.

Brandt’s lawyer, Delatour Calixte, told Scoop that Brandt did lead police to where the children were being held, but denied his client participated in a kidnapping. He suggested Brandt may have organized their “removal” in a family dispute.

“Removing a person is not the same thing as kidnapping,” Calixte said. “There’s a difference between kidnapping and a personal problem…. I have to say one thing: Mr. Brandt was never involved in kidnapping.”

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COMMENT: HAITIAN-TRUTH.ORG

There is more than meets the eye, as they say.

Initial reports showed four other members of the so-called “elite” arrested. Two members of one major family, and a couple of other “elite” families represented by single members. This was a believable because Brandt is/was not capable of coordinating such a complex concept. They are!

Now there is no mention of the others….only Brandt. In fact, the media now mentions The Brandt Family, as though it were/was some sort of Mafia, which it isn’t.

250 police officers were mention – yet there have been no arrests. The announcement gave all of the guilty time to burn their documents and disappear.

The investigation is beyond the minimal abilities of Delva, a guy who was thrown out of West Point for cheating, and fired by the American embassy – in Haiti – for less than honest behaviour.

Things may not be as they appear, especially when you have someone like Robert Moscoso involved.

This case was very strange from the first moments and will continue to leave me suspicious of what actually happened.

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2 thoughts on “Haiti police investigate prominent businessman for alleged role in kidnapping ring-Added COMMENTARY By Haitian-Truth

  1. The DCPJ announced today that press reports implicating 265 Policemen as part of the kidnapping ring are false. While I agree that Brandt could not have organized this alone, it is an ongoing investgation and no other arrests were made. Let’s keep in mind, this is thus far ONE member of the elite, ONE member of ONE family. His actions should in no way tarnish the reputation of a whole group/community. Unfortunately, in the short term at least, his family name has been tarnished.

  2. Affaire Moscoso/Brandt : surprise ? Quelle surprise ?

    Disons le d’emblée :L’arrestation spectaculaire de Clifford Brandt , le démantèlement de son gang présumé de redoutables kidnappeurs et les remous que tout cela provoque seront exploités, à juste titre, par le régime Martelly comme une preuve de sa capacité à s’attaquer efficacement, et quoiqu’il en coute, à ce mal qui ronge le pays depuis le déclenchement de cette pratique en 2004-2005, d’abord à des fins politiques puis très vite adoptée par les mafias crapuleuses qui pullulent en Haïti. Les declarations fracassantes (et courageuses) du Ministre de la Sécurité Publique, Réginald Delva le montrent assez. Cela dit, au-dela de l’action forte qu’il convient de saluer quelques petites questions simples méritent d’être posées.
    1) M. Clifford Brandt sera-il traité comme n’importe quel justiciable ? Le plus important maintenant est en effet à venir. Plus présicément, le processus judiciare enclenché lundi puis, le cas échéant, la phase pénitenciaire feront-elles l’objet de passe-droits ou pire d’un tour de passe-passe juridique, politique ou diplomatique ?

    2) M. Clifford Brandt aurait-il été arrêté, menotté et présenté au parquet si lui et son présumé réseau qui sévissent vraisemblablement depuis quelque temps ne s’était pas attaqué à plus forte partie, à savoir un plus gros zouzoune que lui. En passant, il se dit depuis des années que les Brandt, ou une partie d’entre eux, connaitraient des revers de fortune, en particulier avec la déconfiture relative de la BUH. En revanche, les Moscoso, principal actionnaires du groupe Sogebank se porteraient fort bien financièrement.

    3) Laissera-ton Clifford Brandt mettre à exécution ses menaces de tout déballer concernant ce fameux marché de $ US 2.5 millions de bus commandés par l’ Etat et gagné par Moscoso, et notamment à qui devait être reversée la commission de 20% ? Trouvera-t-on un arrangement à l’amiable, un “gentlemen’s” agreement pour sauver la face de toutes les parties prenantes ?

    4) La grande bourgeoisie d’affaires (et si souvent affairiste) d’Haïti, dont plusieurs illustres rejettons sont de notoriété publique impliqués jusqu’au cou dans les 2 activités illégales les plus florissantes du pays au moins depuis 10 ans, va-t-elle enfin faire le ménage en son sein ? Les autres qui l’auront échappé belle ce coup-ci vont-ils mettre leur barbe à la trempe ? Le coup de tonnerre voulu avec l’arrestation de Clifford Brandt va-t-il vraiment avoir valeur d’exemple?

    5) Sur la lancée d’une si belle démonstration d’impartialité sociale et de détermination absolue à vaincre l’insécurité, le régime Martelly va-t-il pousser son avantage et s’attaquer à la plus grande et la plus confortable des mafias d’Haïti, celle qui gravite politiquement, amicalement ou famillialement autour du Premier Mandataire de la Nation lui-même ?

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