The final report on the attack by Judge Walther Voltaire, obtained by The Washington Post on Monday, accuses the former first lady of colluding in the assassination and associating with criminals.
The indictment also makes similar charges against Claude Joseph, who briefly led the country after Moïse's death. Former Haitian National Police Chief Léon Charles, who led the initial investigation, said: He has also been charged in connection with the assassination. Charles currently serves as Haiti's permanent representative to the Organization of American States, a regional diplomatic forum.
The indictment sheds little light on the motives for the assassination or how it was financed. It also relies on interviews with her key reference, former Justice Department official Joseph Felix Badiou, and provides no direct evidence of the former first lady's involvement. The indictment says Badiou was working for conspirators who promised to appoint him a minister. Inside after the president's dismissal. Badiou told the judge that Martine Moïse was part of the conspiracy and wanted to become president.
Badiou is being held in Haiti on suspicion of plotting an assassination. Martine Moise's whereabouts are unknown. Her Florida-based attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Eleven people were charged with conspiring to kill Moise, with six pleading guilty after federal investigators launched their own investigation into the killing. The rest are awaiting trial in Florida.
Haiti currently has no president or elected official, and gang violence is rampant. Monday's report could further inflame tensions following a recent series of violent protests demanding Prime Minister Ariel Henry's resignation.
Henry's critics, including former leader Joseph, suspect the charges are politically motivated, a charge his office denies.
Joseph, who is now opposition leader, said Monday that Henry “weaponized Haiti's judicial system to prosecute political opponents like me who had led peaceful protests across the country and forced him to resign.” he accused.
“This is a classic coup,” he said.
Mr. Henri's spokesman, Jean Junior Joseph, said in a statement that the prime minister “has no direct relationship with the examining judge and does not control him.”
“Judges are free to issue orders according to law and conscience,” he added.
In 2021, top prosecutors sought charges against Henry, who was appointed prime minister by Moïse days before his death, citing phone conversations Henry allegedly had with Badiou in the hours after the assassination. Henry denied his wrongdoing and fired the prosecutor.
Voltaire is the fifth judge appointed to oversee the Haiti investigation. The former first lady refused to cooperate and repeatedly called for the judge's resignation.
The report called into question Martine Moise's official account, including claims that she hid under the couple's bed to protect herself from her attackers. Investigators suggested there was not enough space under the bed for a person to hide.
A person charged with an indictment may appeal the judge's findings within 10 days of receiving a copy of the indictment.
Punnett reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
