By David C. Adams-Reporting from Miami
The United States imposed sanctions against former President Michel Martelly of Haiti for drug trafficking and money laundering, according to a U.S. Treasury Department statement released Tuesday, accusing him of contributing to the destabilization and unrest afflicting the Caribbean nation.
Mr. Martelly, who served as president of Haiti from 2011 to 2016, “abused his influence to facilitate the trafficking of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, destined for the United States,” the Treasury Department said. He also “sponsored multiple Haiti-based gangs,” the statement added. The sanctions prohibit U.S. financial institutions from making loans or providing credit to Mr. Martelly.
“Today’s action against Martelly emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti,” Bradley T. Smith, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/20/world/americas/haiti-sanctions-martelly-president.html