Police in Haiti arrest lawmaker Arnel Belizaire, who faces charges including terror financing
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested Haitian legislator Arnel Belizaire on charges including financing terrorism and conspiracy against state security.
It’s the latest arrest of Belizaire in a country where powerful political figures have long operated with impunity. Some have been linked to financing and supporting gangs that control an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital.
Haiti’s National Police made the announcement late Sunday, ending a hunt for the well-known lawmaker, who was first accused around two months ago.
Belizaire previously characterized the arrest warrant against him as political intimidation. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Belizaire had registered his new political party late last week for the upcoming general election.
The U.S. government already had accused Belizaire of “significant corruption” last year, announcing that he and his immediate family members were blocked from entering the United States.
Belizaire was arrested in the early 2000s on an illegal weapons charge and sentenced to prison. He escaped and was rearrested, only to escape again following Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake.
He was elected to Haiti’s parliament in 2011 and then rearrested when police noted that he had escaped during the earthquake. He was subsequently released following political pressure.
Belizaire was arrested again several years ago, after being accused of arms trafficking, but those charges were dropped.