Haiti’s expensive presidential council on the brink of collapse amid deepening corruption scandal

Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) is on the verge of collapse following a corruption scandal involving three key members. The Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) accused voting members Emmanuel Vertilaire, Louis Gérald Gilles and Smith Augustin of bribery, increasing public distrust. Now, political parties and civil society groups are calling for his immediate resignation.

Despite these calls, none of the officials involved has resigned. They continue to be involved in critical decisions, raising concerns about their value and fears for the council’s future.

In a report released on October 3, the ULCC accused three CPT members of passive corruption and called for their impeachment. The report also implicates Raoul Pascal Pierre-Louis, the former president of Haiti’s Banc National de Crèdit (BNC), whom the three directors allegedly tried to bribe in exchange for keeping him in office.

The allegations have sparked widespread outrage as the accused officials continue to hold their positions, apparently impatient with growing demands for accountability.

An inflated budget under control

The ULCC investigation has shed light on the staggering costs of maintaining the CPT. According to the report, each presidential council costs the Haitian state more than 1.46 million gourdes per month, or US$11,100. Taking into account the nine members, including the seven voting and two non-voting members, the council’s monthly expenditure rises to approximately 13.167 million gourdes or about US$100,000, excluding additional security and advisory expenses.

In his testimony to ULCC investigators, Augustin, one of the defendants, described in detail the benefits provided to a CPT member. These include a salary of 220,000 gourdes (about $1,700), 400,000 gourdes (over $3,000) in living expenses, 400,000-500,000 ($3,000-3,800) in debit cards, 250,000 gourdes ($700.00) 0 gourdes ($554) in miscellaneous and 20,000 gourdes (about $152) for personal telephone service.

In addition to the monthly base compensation of $11,100 per member, 25 million gourdes, or about $189,625, are allocated to the institution for intelligence services. The ULCC document does not specify whether this sum is budgeted annually or not and whether it is per councilor or for the nine members together.

However, this 25 million gourdes initially earmarked for the intelligence services is actually a personal benefit for the advisers, further fueling criticism in a country struggling economically in the face of humanitarian and security crises.

Questions remain about the value of these intelligence services. Attempts by the Haitian Times to reach council members for clarification on the costs and the fate of the defendants were unsuccessful. The Ministry of Economy and Finance also did not respond to a request for comment.

Demand responsibility

The future of the CPT has become even more precarious, with political and civil society groups calling for the resignation of the officials involved. Several prominent organizations, including the Civil Society Initiative (ISC, its French acronym) and Junts Against Corruption (ECC, its French acronym), have issued statements urging council members to resign in the name of justice

“Members of the Transitional Presidential Council indexed by the ULCC must resign and make themselves available to justice, in the name of the principle of equality of all citizens before the law,” said a statement from the ISC.

The communique calls for bold steps to restore public confidence in the council, which has failed to achieve its goals, particularly to address Haiti’s growing insecurity and form transitional bodies.

Marie Rosie Auguste Ducena, president of ECC, reiterated this stance: “The continued presence of these advisers at the CPT will further erode public confidence in an institution that is already in trouble.”

Resist resignation amid CPT’s fragile future

Despite the growing pressure, the accused councilors remain in their positions. On October 4, six of the seven voting members of the CPT signed a resolution naming Leslie Voltaire as the new president of the transition council. He replaced Edgard Gardy Leblanc Fils, whose mandate ended on October 7, in accordance with the internal commitment and the rules.

The resolution has excluded the three officials accused of becoming presidents of the CPT. However, they still significantly influence the council, participating in its operation and decision-making processes.

In his final statement as president of the CPT, Leblanc expressed concern for the council’s future and urged the accused members to resign to avoid further damage to their credibility.

“These councilors must resign to avoid further tarnishing the Council’s reputation,” Leblanc said in a televised message.

The revelations in the ULCC report have raised concerns about the viability of the CPT, a body initially formed to guide Haiti through its transition period. The council has struggled to deliver on its promises, particularly to address gang violence in the West and Artibonite departments and to implement an April 4 agreement to establish transitional bodies.

With its leadership embroiled in a corruption scandal, the CPT’s mission seems more at risk than ever. In the long run, the cost to the Haitian people may be much higher than what appears on paper.

Civil society groups such as the ISC and the ECC argue that the council’s inability to act decisively on allegations of corruption will only increase public distrust of Haiti’s transitional government.

The CPT remains in a precarious position, with its leadership struggling to maintain control as it faces growing demands for reform. It remains to be seen whether the accused members will step aside or continue to cling to power, but the longer they hang on, the more uncertain Haiti’s transition becomes.

“The CPT cannot afford to keep the leaders involved in such serious accusations,” said Jean André Victor, spokesman for the January 30 Collective, during an interview with the Magic 9 radio station.

“The future of the council, and the future of the entire transition, depends on the speedy removal of these people.”

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