The leader of Haiti’s transitional presidential council claimed Wednesday that one of its communications employees was threatened and forced to publish a press release about a key contract involving the country’s biggest port and two well-known members of its elite.
The incident has deepened infighting within the council and further strained relations between Haiti’s government and its private sector as a wealthy businessman prepares to take over the council’s presidency on Thursday.
Fritz Alphonse Jean, the council’s current president, said in a statement that the Aug. 4 press release was published without his approval and despite his objections.
He also said he was informed about pressure exerted by unidentified council members to dismiss another communications official who “had refused to publish the note without his authorization.”
Jean said a judge would determine whether to grant a 27-year lease to Caribbean Port Services instead of nine years as originally planned.
“Without this opinion, suspicions of corruption could further tarnish the (council’s) credibility,” he said.
Jean also demanded that Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé provide the council with explanations previously requested regarding the lease of the Port-au-Prince International Port, located in an area long controlled by powerful gangs.
The press release that Jean condemned states the council met with Philippe Coles, president of Caribbean Port Services, and Edouard Baussan, a wealthy businessman with strong ties to Haiti’s most powerful politicians.
The release claimed that the “fruitful discussions, conducted in complete transparency,” found that “all necessary clarifications have been provided” and that the contract between the government and the company is legal.
Caribbean Port Services is a private maritime logistics company that operates the international port in partnership with Haiti’s Port Authority. It handles about 80% of the port’s cargo container volume, according to its website.
On Thursday, Jean will step down as council president as part of a rotation. He recently told The Associated Press that starting on Aug. 7, Haiti’s two executive branches will be controlled by its private sector.
Bocchit Edmond, a former ambassador to the U.S., said a businessman taking leadership of the council is an opportunity for the private sector to prove itself.
He also condemned Jean’s statement on Wednesday.
“I’m against the public bashing of the private sector,” he said. “It’s not a good thing at all for the country, for its political stability.”
However, Jean said that some private sector members “were active operators of the chaos in which Haiti is currently engulfed.”
Some of Haiti’s wealthy elites and powerful politicians have long been accused of financing and arming dozens of gangs, which the United Nations has noted in its reports.
Gangs now control 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and continue to launch attacks in a bid to control more territory.
Jean’s announcement comes less than a week after U.S. officials announced they were aware of “reported bribery attempts” aimed at destabilizing Haiti.
In remarks to the AP, Jean called it “a desperate and trivial effort to attract the sympathy of American congressmen and women, and the U.S. administration.”
The council was created following the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry after gangs launched a series of attacks last year against critical government infrastructure.
It is tasked with holding elections by February 2026.
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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico
