Several Haitian political figures named in a United Nations Panel of Experts report have publicly rejected allegations linking them to armed groups and illicit activities, demanding the U.N. provide evidence for the claims. Former lawmakers Nenel Cassy, Alfredo Junior Antoine, Youry Latortue, and Jean-Charles Moïse have taken particular issue with the assertions detailed in the report.
The report, issued on September 8, identifies multiple prominent figures as being associated with criminal financing and gang activity. Among those named are former Arcahaie Mayor Rosemila Sainvil Petit-Frère and former lawmaker Prophane Victor, both of whom have also been implicated in illicit dealings.
Cassy, who held a news conference on October 13, criticized the report, asserting that it targets individuals opposed to gang violence. “I have never financed gangs, participated in criminal acts, or killed or paid anyone to kill,” Cassy stated. He argued that the allegations could normalize gang activity by suggesting connections between elected officials and these groups.
In the report, Cassy was accused of supporting armed gangs for personal and political gain, including alleged control over the BLTS criminal group in Miragoâne. The report also links him to the creation of a gang known as Fantôme 509 in 2018, which has been implicated in violent acts against police officers and an attempted kidnapping related to the assassination of a Haitian diplomat in 2021.
Antoine has similarly denied accusations of gang ties, particularly those linked to the January 27, 2025, attack in Kenscoff that resulted in over 100 deaths. He has called on investigators to present evidence of his alleged connections to the gang leader Dady “Didy” Paul and challenged the report’s conclusions, arguing that it lacked direct fieldwork in the areas discussed.
Both Cassy and Antoine have been previously arrested on charges including conspiracy against state security and financing criminal organizations but were later released. They are currently not on the U.N. financial sanctions list, despite a sanctions regime renewal on October 14 that did not confirm if further names would be added.
Latortue has also disputed his reported ties to gangs operating in the Artibonite region. In an open letter dated October 7 to the U.N. Security Council, he stated that he has served openly during his time as a senator and has never supported gang activity. “I continue to reject these allegations in their entirety,” Latortue said.
Moïse, identified in the report as having potential influence over the glass eel trade, has also challenged the allegations, requesting for verifiable evidence. He stated, “I demand verifiable evidence and, failing that, the removal of my name from the relevant passages.”
Meanwhile, Petit-Frère, who is accused of financing gang leaders and leaking confidential police information, submitted a letter disputing the allegations but has not spoken publicly since the report was published. Following her arrest in August 2025 in the Dominican Republic, she was released in January for medical reasons, though her current whereabouts are unclear.
The U.N. Security Council has not responded to the denials presented by these political figures, underscoring the ongoing tension between the findings of the U.N. report and the claims of the accused amidst a backdrop of escalating gang violence in Haiti.
