Canada has placed sanctions on three Haitian politicians.
The Canadian government said in a statement Saturday the sanctions are being imposed “in response to the egregious conduct of Haitian political elites who provide illicit financial and operational support to armed gangs.”
“Canada has reason to believe,” the statement says, that the individuals are using “their status as current or previous public office holders to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through money laundering and other acts of corruption.”
Reuters identified the trio of politicians as Senator Ronny Célestin, former Senator Hervé Fourcand, and former President of the Chamber of Deputies Gary Bodeau.
The latest round of sanctions effectively freezes any assets the individuals may hold in Canada.
Canada said the criminal gangs and “their supporters continue to terrorize vulnerable populations in Haiti with impunity and are precipitating a humanitarian crisis in Haiti that includes the resurgence of cholera in Haiti.”
Earlier this month, Canada imposed sanctions on two other individuals who Canada said were also providing support to Haitian gangs.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.
