Haitian President Jovenel Moïse speaks during an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, in 2020.MIAMI — A federal judge in Miami sentenced a Haitian-Chilean businessman to life in prison this month for his role in helping Colombian mercenaries get weapons to assassinate Haitian PresidentRodolphe Jaar, 51, is the first person to be convicted and sentenced in what U.S.
The Haitian government also has arrested more than 40 people for their alleged role in the murder, including 18 former Colombian soldiers.Jaar entered the hearing room handcuffed and with shackles on his ankles, wearing a prisoner’s beige shirt and pants. He was wearing a face mask and his graying hair was neatly cut. He listened to the judge’s ruling with his head bowed.
Jaar arrived in South Florida in January 2022 after being detained in the Dominican Republic, and has been held in federal detention ever since. According to U.S. authorities, he voluntarily agreed to be transferred to Miami to face the charges against him.