Trial Begins in the United States Over the Assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse

According to a report published by , the trial of four men accused of participating in the assassination of has begun in the United States, nearly three years after the killing that shocked the international community and triggered a deep political and security crisis in Haiti.

The proceedings are taking place in , where federal prosecutors argue that the defendants were part of a sophisticated international conspiracy that led to the assassination of Haiti’s last democratically elected president on July 7, 2021.

According to court documents, a group of armed attackers stormed Moïse’s private residence during the early morning hours and opened fire. Prosecutors state that the president suffered twelve gunshot wounds to the face, chest, and limbs, dying instantly at the scene. His assassination quickly plunged Haiti into chaos, contributing to the expansion of armed gangs, political instability, and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

The trial centers on the alleged role of a Miami-area security company known as Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy (CTU). Among the defendants are Antonio Intriago, a Venezuelan-American businessman and owner of the firm; Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, a Colombian national associated with the company; Walter Veintemilla, an Ecuadorian-American businessman accused of financing the operation; and James Solages, a Haitian-American security official allegedly involved in coordinating aspects of the plot.

U.S. prosecutors claim the group recruited a team of former Colombian soldiers who traveled to Haiti to execute the operation. Investigators say the original plan may have involved detaining President Moïse, but the operation eventually evolved into a plot to assassinate him.

Several other individuals connected to the conspiracy have already pleaded guilty in U.S. courts and received life sentences, while a number of Colombian mercenaries remain imprisoned in Haiti awaiting separate legal proceedings.

During the trial, prosecutors are expected to present extensive evidence, including crime scene photographs, drone footage recorded near the presidential residence, forensic ballistic evidence, and security camera recordings. These materials, investigators say, may help establish the roles played by various members of the conspiracy.

Key testimony may also come from Martine Moïse, the president’s widow, who survived the attack after being shot. She is expected to testify that she heard the attackers speaking Spanish during the assault, a detail that investigators believe supports the involvement of foreign mercenaries.

Another controversial element involves an arrest warrant allegedly signed by a Haitian judge, which the conspirators reportedly used to justify entering the president’s residence. The judge later claimed that he signed the document under pressure and lacked the legal authority to issue such an order, stating that he had been manipulated by those behind the plot.

Although the trial may clarify some aspects of the assassination, analysts believe many questions remain unanswered, particularly regarding who ultimately ordered the killing and what political or financial interests may have been behind the operation.

The proceedings in Miami are therefore seen as a critical step in unraveling the complex international network of financiers, mercenaries, and intermediaries involved in one of the most shocking political assassinations in the Caribbean in recent decades.