Haitian politicians named in UN report on gang ties, illicit trade demand evidence

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Several Haitian political figures named in a recent report by the United Nations Panel of Experts have rejected allegations linking them to armed groups, criminal financing or illicit economic networks. They have challenged the U.N. investigators to provide evidence and, in some cases, called for their names to be removed from the report.

The responses vary. Former Sen. Nenel Cassy and former Kenscoff Deputy Alfredo Junior Antoine dispute allegations of supporting armed groups, while former Sen. Youry Latortue challenges claims linking him to gangs in the Artibonite region. Ex- Senator Jean-Charles Moïse, meanwhile, denies allegations involving Haiti’s glass eel trade.

The report also names former Arcahaie Mayor Rosemila Sainvil Petit-Frère and former lawmaker Prophane Victor , among others, in connection with alleged criminal activity.

The allegations and denials come as armed gangs continue to pose a major security threat in Haiti, where violence has displaced over 1.5 million residents and weakened state authority.

Cassy and Antoine deny financing gangs

Cassy, who criticized the report during an Oct. 13 news conference, was the latest to publicly react . He rejected the allegations and argued that the report targets influential people who speak out against gangs.

“I have never financed gangs, participated in criminal acts, or killed or paid anyone to kill,” Cassy said. “Those who are capable of fighting the gangs are accused of being associated with them.”

He also argued that the allegations risk normalizing gang activity by suggesting that elected officials are involved with those armed groups.

In its report dated Sept. 8, the Panel of Experts on Haiti alleges that Cassy supported armed gangs to advance his political agenda and personal interests. It identifies him as having exercised control over the BLTS criminal group in Miragoâne.

“I have never financed gangs, participated in criminal acts, or killed or paid anyone to kill. Those who are capable of fighting the gangs, they are accused of being associated with them.”

Former Sen. Nenel Cassy

The report also links Cassy to the creation of Fantôme 509 in 2018 . The group, described as involving police officers, has been accused of violent acts, including killings of police officers. The report also connects the group to an attempted kidnapping followed by the 2021 assassination of a Haitian diplomat.

The report names Cassy alongside Antoine, whom investigators identify as an alleged key figure behind the Jan. 27, 2025, attack in Kenscoff that left more than 100 people dead. It also alleges that Antoine frequently communicated with gang leader Dady “Didy” Paul, whom the report links to subsequent attacks in the area.

Antoine has denied the allegations in interviews with local media, challenging the experts to provide evidence of his alleged gang ties. He has also questioned the report’s findings, arguing that investigators did not conduct fieldwork in Kenscoff.

Both Cassy and Antoine have previously faced allegations of links to gangs and of supplying firearms, ammunition, or money to criminal groups. They were arrested and later released in connection with allegations that included conspiracy against state security, financing criminal organizations, complicity in murder and criminal association.

Neither man is currently subject to U.N. financial sanctions, according to information available as of this writing, despite the renewal of the U.N. sanctions regime on Haiti on Oct. 14. However, in the context of this renewal, the U.N. did not confirm whether it signaled that additional names could be added, at a time when the country is preparing for elections.

“Today, as in the past, I continue to reject these allegations in their entirety,” Latortue said. During my two terms in the Senate of the Republic, I served the public openly and in front of the cameras.”

Former Sen. Youri Latortue

For now, the U.N. sanctions list includes nine individuals, seven of whom are gang leaders — Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, Johnson “Izo” André, Renel “Ti Lapli” Destina, Wilson “Lanmò San Jou” Joseph, Vitelhomme Innocent, Luckson Elan and Kempès Sanon — and two former government officials, Dimitri Hérard and Victor. The list also includes Gran Grif and Viv Ansanm, two entities the U.N.ited States has designated as terrorist organizations .

Cassy, however, has been under Canadian sanctions since March 23, 2023, and was publicly designated by the United States on Dec. 11, 2023, over allegations of corruption and links to criminal activity.

Latortue disputes allegations of ties to Artibonite gang

Latortue, a former senator and leader of Atibonit An Aksyon (AAA) party, challenged the report in an open letter dated Oct. 7 addressed to the panel and the U.N. Security Council.

He said the report falsely linked him to the Kokorat San Ras and Raboteau gangs in the Artibonite region and argued that the allegations lacked supporting evidence. According to Latortue, the claims relied on rumors circulating through a recording shared on social media in which a gang leader accused him.

“Today, as in the past, I continue to reject these allegations in their entirety,” Latortue said. “During my two terms in the Senate of the Republic, I served the public openly and in front of the cameras. I have never supported, armed or financed any gang.”

Other figures named in the report include former lawmaker Victor, who has been sanctioned over allegations that he supported and armed gangs, and Magalie Habitant , whom the panel describes as an intermediary between criminal groups and their economic and financial supporters.

Both are in prison and have not publicly responded to the report’s latest allegations. They have been detained since January 2025 and are awaiting trial. A July 21 Court of Appeal ruling confirmed that their cases should be referred to the criminal court.

Moïse challenges allegations about glass eel trade, Petit-Frère remains muted

Moïse, a former senator representing the North Department and leader of the Pitit Dessalines party, is not accused in the report of ties to the Viv Ansanm gang coalition. Instead, investigators allege that he exercises significant political and economic influence over Haiti’s lucrative glass eel trade and leads an illicit export network connected to broader smuggling operations in the Caribbean.

According to the panel’s report , the alleged network influenced export permits, customs oversight and other stages of the supply chain, from harvesting to commercialization. Investigators said Moïse’s reach extended to the Dominican Republic and other parts of the Caribbean.

Like Latortue, Moïse disputed the report’s allegations and challenged the experts to produce evidence in an Oct. 10 post on X . His party also issued a statement arguing that the glass eel trade is not inherently illegal and that Moïse has no commercial activity in the sector.

“I demand verifiable evidence and, failing that, the removal of my name from the relevant passages,” Moïse wrote. “I reserve the right to take any appropriate action, nationally and internationally, to defend my honor.”

Meanwhile, Petit-Frère, the former mayor of Arcahaie, who is accused in the report of financing gang leaders, laundering money and sharing confidential information about planned police operations with members of the Viv Ansanm coalition , has not publicly commented on the latest report.

But investigators said she submitted a letter disputing the allegations after being given an opportunity to respond.

Petit-Frère was arrested in August 2025 while traveling through the Dominican Republic en route from Canada. She was released in January due to undisclosed medical conditions. Her current whereabouts were unknown at the time of publication.

The U.N. Security Council had not publicly responded to the latest objections to the report by the accused individuals.

Their responses highlight the clash between the U.N. panel’s findings and allegations and the individuals’ denials, as Haiti continues to grapple with gang violence and its effects on civilians.

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