A retired Colombian military officer has been sentenced to life imprisonment in Miami for his role in the 2021 assassination of former Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse.
German Rivera, identified as one of the leaders of the mercenary group that fatally shot the ex-president on 7 July 2021, pleaded guilty to three charges in September in a federal court in Miami, Florida. The former armed forces captain was tried under US law as the assassination plot was partly hatched in Florida, even though it was executed in Haiti’s capital.
Appearing in brown prison clothing, handcuffed and shackled, the accused chose to remain silent before hearing his sentence. He is the second person to be convicted in the US for President Moïse’s death. In June, a businessman of Haitian and Chilean nationalities, Rodolphe Jaar, was sentenced to life in prison for supplying weapons to the murderers.
Jovenel Moïse, 53, was shot dead at his home near the capital, Port-au-Prince, by a commando of over 20 mainly Colombian trained individuals, without his guards intervening. Initially, the operation aimed to abduct President Moïse, but it evolved into an assassination, according to court records.
A US investigation revealed that two men heading a security company, CTU, in Miami, planned to kidnap Mr. Moïse and replace him with an American-Haitian, Christian Sanon, who aspired to become the country’s president.
Moïse’s death plunged Haiti further into chaos, as the Caribbean country was already gripped by gang violence. These gangs now control 80% of the capital, and the number of serious crimes has reached an all-time high, according to the United Nations representative in the country.
No election has been held since 2016, while the presidency has been vacant since Moïse’s assassination.
