This thug represents only a fraction of the long history of dictators in Haiti. He plundered the country out of hundreds of millions. Most of it American taxpayer dollars… now he's back for more.
Just one more reason, on a long list, of why Haiti is the toilet bowl of the Western Hemisphere. Pouring more money in has never been the answer as evidenced by the last (corrupt) election. Therein lies the question. Is Haiti capable of ever producing leadership that cares more about the people... then they do about themselves? So far it has been a resounding NO.
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WASHINGTON - The mystery of Jean-Claude Duvalier's return to Haiti, out of the blue and at a time of national chaos and instability, may be explained not by a thirst for power but another gnawing human need: money.
The former dictator has not said why he suddenly flew home after nearly 25 years in exile other than to help with post-quake reconstruction, but human rights activists and experts believe it may have been a manoeuvre to prevent the confiscation of at least US$5.7-million in frozen Swiss bank accounts.
"It would seem to be the most plausible explanation when you put these pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together," said Reed Brody, counsel to Human Rights Watch and a former prosecutor in Haiti.
The theory, which has gained wide currency in Haiti, stems from a law passed by Switzerland that goes into effect on Feb. 1 and would allow the confiscation of the last of Mr. Duvalier's frozen assets and their return to Haiti.
Known as the Duvalier law, it stipulates Switzerland can confiscate illicit assets and return them to an affected country even if that state has not taken legal action.
The law sets two conditions, however -- the failure to take action must be because of the weakness of the state's structures or the unavailability for trial of the affected person.
"That means that Switzerland could confiscate the money and repatriate it to Haiti, without Haiti having to prosecute Duvalier," Mr. Brody said. "But if Duvalier goes back to Haiti and is not prosecuted, then he could say, 'I was available for prosecution, and you didn't prosecute me: Give me my money back.' "
The former president for life, 59, showed up unexpectedly in Port-au-Prince on an Air France flight on Jan. 17 with what a diplomatic source said was a return ticket for Jan. 20.
He may have hoped to enter and leave unnoticed, but he was charged the following day with corruption and misappropriation of funds, and has now been barred from leaving.
Mr. Duvalier, who reportedly has been living in relative poverty in France since a costly divorce, came close to getting the Swiss monies last year.
On Jan. 12, 2010, the Swiss supreme court tribunal ordered at least US$4.6-million of the fortune be released to him, saying the statue of limitations had run out.
But on the very same day, a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, killing 220,000 people and leaving the capital in ruins and more than one million people homeless.
The disaster set off an uproar in Switzerland over the court decision, which prompted the Swiss government to issue an emergency decree blocking the release of the Duvalier money until a new law could be passed.
The Swiss government alleges Mr. Duvalier looted between US$400-million and US$900-million from Haiti during his 15 years in power at the head of a notoriously corrupt and violent regime founded in 1957 by his father, Francois Duvalier.
"None of it has been recovered. Period," said Irwin Stotzky, a human rights lawyer at the University of Miami who helped win a US$500,000 judgment against Mr. Duvalier in 1988.
"Some of it has been traced to Swiss banks, some of it we traced to their French banks many years ago."
Whatever Duvalier's motives for returning, it was not a good idea, his lawyer, Charles Gervais, admitted.
"Nobody expected him in Haiti and he came to Haiti as someone the world had forgotten about," he said.
"But since he got here, the media has been there, and human rights organizations are making claims. It was an ill time for him to come to Haiti."
On Friday, in his first press conference since his surprise return, Mr. Duvalier called for "national reconciliation" in Haiti and said he had returned out of solidarity with victims of last year's quake.
He also voiced his "deep sorrow for all those who say they were victims of my government."
"I am here to show my solidarity at this difficult moment," he added.
(someone get me a barf-bag)
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Update
FORMER US congressman Bob Barr claims ex-Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier is trying to unlock frozen funds left in Swiss banks after he fled to exile in Paris - for his country's benefit.
Duvalier ''is very interested in trying to get those funds freed up, not for himself, but so they can be used to help the situation in Haiti,'' said Mr Barr, who went with Duvalier to Port-au-Prince.
On Saturday Duvalier, 59, also known as ''Baby Doc'', apologized to victims of abuses during his government, vowed to help the quake-ravaged nation rebuild and said he expected to face ''persecution'' upon his return.
He declared himself ''impressed by the welcome I have received, especially from the crowd of young people who don't know me''.
But their attendance at the villa in the upmarket Montagne Noire neighbourhood was engineered. ''We were paid 10 gourdes ($A25¢) to show up,'' said one.
Most of the fortune that Duvalier had upon leaving Haiti in 1986 is said to have gone - initially on high living but latterly on an expensive divorce - and he is back just as the international community is topping up the coffers with billions in earthquake aid.
Haitian authorities have accused him of criminal conspiracy, embezzlement and corruption, prosecutor Aristidas Auguste told Radio Metropole.
A Swiss law set to take effect on February 1 may allow Haitian authorities to recover as much as $US7.3 million frozen in Duvalier's accounts, said Jenny Piaget, a spokeswoman for the Swiss foreign affairs department.
Amnesty International, which has pressured for Duvalier to be tried for crimes against humanity, said the corruption case is ''a positive step, but it is not enough''.
When asked about the crimes against humanity charges, Mr Barr, who is advising Duvalier but not representing him as a lawyer, said ''allegations are the cheapest commodity on the market''.
Robert Pastor, who served as former president Jimmy Carter's national security adviser for Latin America, said in an email that it was likely Duvalier's motive for returning was ''reconstruction of his image''.
'Baby Doc' wants to use Swiss money 'to help Haiti'
Sure he does.
FORMER US congressman Bob Barr claims ex-Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier is trying to unlock frozen funds left in Swiss banks after he fled to exile in Paris - for his country's benefit.
Duvalier ''is very interested in trying to get those funds freed up, not for himself, but so they can be used to help the situation in Haiti,'' said Mr Barr, who went with Duvalier to Port-au-Prince.
On Saturday Duvalier, 59, also known as ''Baby Doc'', apologized to victims of abuses during his government, vowed to help the quake-ravaged nation rebuild and said he expected to face ''persecution'' upon his return.
He declared himself ''impressed by the welcome I have received, especially from the crowd of young people who don't know me''.
But their attendance at the villa in the upmarket Montagne Noire neighbourhood was engineered. ''We were paid 10 gourdes ($A25¢) to show up,'' said one.
Most of the fortune that Duvalier had upon leaving Haiti in 1986 is said to have gone - initially on high living but latterly on an expensive divorce - and he is back just as the international community is topping up the coffers with billions in earthquake aid.
Haitian authorities have accused him of criminal conspiracy, embezzlement and corruption, prosecutor Aristidas Auguste told Radio Metropole.
A Swiss law set to take effect on February 1 may allow Haitian authorities to recover as much as $US7.3 million frozen in Duvalier's accounts, said Jenny Piaget, a spokeswoman for the Swiss foreign affairs department.
Amnesty International, which has pressured for Duvalier to be tried for crimes against humanity, said the corruption case is ''a positive step, but it is not enough''.
When asked about the crimes against humanity charges, Mr Barr, who is advising Duvalier but not representing him as a lawyer, said ''allegations are the cheapest commodity on the market''.
Robert Pastor, who served as former president Jimmy Carter's national security adviser for Latin America, said in an email that it was likely Duvalier's motive for returning was ''reconstruction of his image''.
BLOOMBERG, TELEGRAPH
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