A Haitian American pastor is set to stand trial in Miami on Monday for his alleged involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moise, offenses that could result in a life sentence if he is convicted.
Sanon has been detained since Haitian authorities arrested him days after the assassination. A search of his home reportedly uncovered ammunition, 19 passports, and other items. He was transferred to U.S. custody in early 2023.
The trial in U.S. District Court in Miami marks a significant development in the extensive international investigation into the July 7, 2021, killing of Moise, who was fatally shot in his residence during an armed incursion.
Prosecutors allege that Sanon helped recruit individuals for the plot and harbored ambitions of becoming Haiti's president following Moise's removal from power. His legal team acknowledges his presidential aspirations but denies his awareness of any plan to assassinate Moise. Several defendants who have already pleaded guilty have identified Sanon as one of the plot's masterminds. Sanon's defense is expected to argue that his alleged co-conspirators gradually marginalized him as they shifted their focus to other potential successors for Moise.
Sanon is one of dozens of individuals, including former Colombian soldiers, implicated in the assassination. The scheme, according to prosecutors, was largely planned and funded in South Florida, where Sanon had lived intermittently since the 2000s. The assassination plot is also alleged to have been financed using funds obtained through COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Moise's widow, Martine Moise, who survived the attack, is anticipated to be among the witnesses testifying in the trial.
Authorities have indicated that the conspiracy was motivated by a variety of political and financial factors, including plans to install a new government and secure advantageous state contracts. Media reports and investigators have also suggested links between the assassination and political tensions involving Moise and influential figures allegedly connected to drug and arms trafficking.
Haiti has not had an elected president since Moise's death. The assassination plunged the nation into deeper political turmoil and exacerbated a security crisis, leading to increased control by armed gangs across the country. Sanon was initially charged with offenses related to the alleged smuggling of bulletproof vests into Haiti, with charges later expanded.
Sanon was initially anticipated to be the final defendant in the Miami proceedings. However, in August, U.S. authorities charged 30 additional suspects and transferred 18 defendants from Haitian custody to the United States. Haiti is currently preparing for its first presidential election in a decade, scheduled for December, but persistent gang violence and pervasive corruption continue to cast doubt on the possibility of a credible electoral process, more than five years after Moise's assassination.