Charges filed!!!! - "Baby Doc" (Updated with links and snippets)

[Cerridwen]

Haiti prosecutor files charges against 'Baby Doc' Duvalier for corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds - Reuters

edit: looking for good link. will update or reply when found.

skynetbreaking
bbcbreaking
breakingnews
bbcworld
timesnewsdesk

all reporting but no links yet

couple of edits to add who's reporting

From suffragette's post:


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110118/wl_nm/us_haiti_duva...
Haiti prosecutor charges "Baby Doc" with graft, theft

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – A Haitian prosecutor on Tuesday formally charged former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier with corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds and other alleged crimes committed during his 1971-1986 rule.

"His fate is now in the hands of the investigating judge. We have brought charges against him," Port-au-Prince Chief Prosecutor Aristidas Auguste told Reuters.

The charges must now be investigated by the judge who will decide whether a judicial case should go ahead.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)

--------------


Skynews: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201009115898388?linkedfrom=fb

Prosecutors in Haiti have filed charges of corruption, theft and misappropriation of funds against former dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier.

More charges are expected to follow over alleged crimes committed during his 1971-1986 rule.

"His fate is now in the hands of the investigating judge. We have brought charges against him," said Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor Aristidas Auguste.

The charges will now be investigated by the judge who will decide if a judicial case should go ahead.

More to follow...

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

and the crimes against humanity?

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Baby Doc needs to be in the dock

of the Hague.

[Cerridwen]

23. The bits, and they are currently bits, say more charges may be added.

I've got fingers, toes, and eyes crossed. That last is from all the reading. :)

[Matariki]

2. That had better expand to torture and mass murder charges. n/t

[malaise]

3. Heard corruption, money laundering

fraud and something else - all money related so far.

[NuclearDem]

14. Haven't you heard? Crimes against money > crimes against human beings

[maxsolomon]

4. Move fast, because a significant portion of Haitians

want him back in power. baby doc should GTFO, and the army should show him to the airport.

[Matariki]

6. I'm willing to bet it's not a significant amount at all.

There are some, sure. But there are many, many folks who remember his reign of terror.

[maxsolomon]

34. did you read the NYT today?

a quote along the lines of "when he was in power, we were poor, but we weren't hungry".

the failure of developed nations (france, USA) to make a sincere effort to put haiti on its feet since duvalier was ousted is a sin.

[Vinnie From Indy]

37. LOL!

So, did the NYT quote more than ONE Haitian with that opinion? How about the relatives of the THOUSANDS that were murdered or imprisoned by the Duvalier family? Were they quoted as well?

One quote is HARDLY a mandate.

[Cerridwen]

41. Hey, Vinnie. See my post #40. That's how it's being reported.

Whether or not it's true...well, I guess we'll see.

[Cerridwen]

40. I don't know whether it's significant or not, but a lot of the media

reports have been noting that either 40% or 60% of Haitians were born after he was ousted. There have been a lot of reports of the people preferring stability to what they have now and being willing to "settle" for the 'baby doc' in some Utopian dream memory of how it was.

Whether or not it's true, the narrative is out there.

I've kept threads gathered together as much as possible. I think the first few entries in my journal are the collections if you'd like to read through them. Those are just part of the articles that have been "catapulting" that idea. :(

[Matariki]

45. And although they weren't born then - they somehow know they weren't hungry.

Pretty funny reporting. I don't believe it. He has some supporters, sure - but a majority? No way.

[Cerridwen]

47. Hell, I've met people in the US who were around in the 50s and

still think "June Cleaver" was a stay-at-home mom.

I wouldn't be surprised. Tales told in families and such.

[maxsolomon]

58. a "significant portion" not the same as a "majority".

if Duvalier were to come back to power, it wouldn't be in a democratic election. the opinoin of the majority won't enter into it.

[Cerridwen]

62. Good point. It's not the numbers, it's the power.

Whomever has the power has the "numbers."

He who counts the votes...

[sabrina 1]

53. Are you serious? He is a major criminal who caused the torture

and death of untold numbers of Haitians and it's a crime that he has lived in luxury for so long under the protection of the Colonial powers for whom he was a great ally.

It's encouraging to see that many of these human rights abusers from the Cold War era who worked for the West and enriched themselves while they abused their own people, are finally being brought to justice.

From South America to Africa, justice is finally catching up with them. Too late for many of the victims, but even 50 years later, the lesson hopefully will be, eg, to our own war criminals, when you commit crimes against humanity, no matter how long it takes, there will be justice.

I hope he is not spirited out of Haiti. And I doubt he has very many supporters there, although there are the criminal gangs who were encouraged by the U.S. after Aristedes was ousted in a U.S. coup. I'm sure they love their old dictator.

[maxsolomon]

59. Yes, I am serious.

I don't think he would come back unless he knew he wouldn't seriously be tried for his crimes. And I think there is a desire, among SOME (not all, not a majority) people in Haiti to see stability, any stability, over the democratic process (which hasn't exactly worked well for them overall). Some are the rich, some are Tonton Macoute, but some are simply the hungry and desparate.

I'm not in favor of returning him to power. I'm in favor of arresting him and sending him to the Hague.

[sabrina 1]

61. Sending him to Hague sounds like the best way to handle it.

[leftstreet]

7. K&R

[spanone]

8. k&r thanks cerridwen

[Cerridwen]

22. Glad to help.

:hi:

Still hoping all will be well.

There are reports of protests and storming the courthouse. :(

[suffragette]

9. Here's a link, but not much more info

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110118/wl_nm/us_haiti_duvalier_18
Haiti prosecutor charges "Baby Doc" with graft, theft

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – A Haitian prosecutor on Tuesday formally charged former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier with corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds and other alleged crimes committed during his 1971-1986 rule.

"His fate is now in the hands of the investigating judge. We have brought charges against him," Port-au-Prince Chief Prosecutor Aristidas Auguste told Reuters.

The charges must now be investigated by the judge who will decide whether a judicial case should go ahead.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva; Editing by Pascal Fletcher)

[Cerridwen]

13. Thank you!

I've got about 15 tabs open and trying to refresh and read each at the same time. lol

I'm so gonna need new glasses soon. :D

[suffragette]

19. Your threads on this have been a great source of info

:yourock:

[Cerridwen]

21. :)

You are too kind.

:hi:

[Starry Messenger]

10. k&r

[Cerridwen]

31. Thank you. :) n/t

[CatWoman]

11. this is interesting

his life in exile: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/17/jean-claude-duvalier-baby-doc

if you look up "loser" in the dictionary, you would most definitely see a picture of Jean Claude.

[Cerridwen]

32. Good background info. Thanks.

I'm not sure 'loser' quite covers the depth of his loser-ness. Blech.

[Cerridwen]

12. People outside courthouse "screaming"

MacMcClelland
The people outside the courthouse gates are *screaming*. Duvalier supporters getting very worked up.
2 minutes ago via tweetymail

http://twitter.com/MacMcClelland

edit: screaming, even.

[jwirr]

28. Looks like Haiti is in for a few hot days. His supporters are going to

cause some trouble.

[Cerridwen]

30. Everyone knew that would happen. I hope they were prepared.

Perhaps that was the delay between touchdown and pickup?

[Cerridwen]

15. aljazeera.net's got it scrolling as breaking with "more to come.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/01/201111401024170137.html


Reports: Haitian prosecutors file charges against ex-president "Baby Doc" Duvalier. More soon...

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Justice at times takes a long time

[Cerridwen]

57. This was a long time coming, though I'm not sure this result

is in the neighborhood of justice.

At this point I'm not sure it's even sharing a planet.

:(

[Cerridwen]

17. Guardian now has it. No additional info, though.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/18/haiti-baby-doc-duvalier-court

'Baby Doc' Duvalier charged with corruption in Haiti
Former dictator faces charges relating to his 15-year rule after being hauled before a judge in Port-au Prince

Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was charged with corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds and other alleged crimes committed during his 1971-1986 rule after the former Haitian dictator was hauled before a judge in Port-au Prince tonight.

"His fate is now in the hands of the investigating judge. We have brought charges against him," Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor, Aristidas Auguste, told Reuters.

The charges must now be investigated by the judge who will decide whether a judicial case should go ahead.

[Cerridwen]

18. Reuters reporting much the same. Missing piece? Where is 'baby doc'?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70H4BJ20110118?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+reuters/worldNews+(News+/+US+/+International)

[Cerridwen]

20. Demonstrators just tried to storm the courthouse - shit, damn, shit, damn

MacMcClelland
Demonstrators just tried to storm the courthouse gates; UN soldiers scrambling.
less than a minute ago via tweetymail

[Cerridwen]

24. Comedy break from Twitter.

Caligula and Baby Doc are both in the news in the same week? Come to think of it, has anybody ever seen them together?

[Cerridwen]

25. Um. Ick. But I'll include because it's part of the story. But...ick. And sad.

http://www.belpolitik.com/messages.php/28344?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

RE: Duvalier HAS BEEN Arrested, Baby Doc Is Under Arrest

Its not good that they arrested baby doc.he left the country 25 years ago went Into exile In france, and In those 25 years has haiti become better for the haitian people In the absense of Jean Claude?
NO
What have all those intellectuals done to improve haiti In the 25 years that jean claude was In france?

NOTHING
Those young haitians that lived In the united states and committed crimes and was imprisoned after being release they were deported back to haiti, and some became members of gangs thats behind the rape, kidnapping, and murder of haitian americans that go down to visit their families.what have the intellectuals done about those problems?NOTHING

(there's more at the link)
-----

It was posted in response to

Duvalier HAS BEEN Arrested, Baby Doc Is Under Arrest

http://www.belpolitik.com/messages.php/28307

[Cerridwen]

26. Bloomberg: "Bernadeau expects Duvalier will be returning to his hotel."

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — An associate of Jean-Claude Duvalier says a judge has decided to open a formal investigation of the former dictator.

Mona Bernadeau, a Senate candidate from Duvalier's political party, says Duvalier has been facing questions from the judge in a closed-door legal session since being taken out of his hotel by police Tuesday.

She declined to specify the allegations. Under the Haitian system, judges investigate allegations made by prosecutors. Haiti allows for pretrial detention but that is unlikely in Duvalier's case. Bernadeau expects Duvalier will be returning to his hotel.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-18/former-haiti-dictator-facing-questions-from-judge.html

[Dappleganger]

27. Good, but I have serious doubts that these will stick.

Or that he will ever have justice served against him.

Why? Because he would not have returned if he did not have enough important supporters in place already who have their hands in the charity coffers, waiting to dish it out to Baby Doc as well. Everybody is read to gain a HUGE profit off of their thugster-in-chief.

[Cerridwen]

29. Based on history, you're correct. I hope you're wrong.

Nothing personal. I'd just like to see something work out for a change.

[Dappleganger]

46. Unfortunately Haiti's history is quite damning, particularly where

the Duvalier family is concerned.

Seen it for myself. :(

[Cerridwen]

49. :(

I've only read. I can't, I don't really want to, imagine seeing it.

[pinboy3niner]

33. K&R

Thanks for staying on top of this. :thumbsup:

[Cerridwen]

36. You betcha! *wink*

Hee, hee.

How're you doing? Did the email reply get sent? I hope you're feeling better.

[pinboy3niner]

39. I'll send it soon

I'm still pissed, even after a night's sleep.

Seeing Baby Doc hauled in is good, though. Thanks again for the updates.

[Cerridwen]

56. Well, don't read any more of these threads, please.

It looks like they've released him and no telling what will come of that.

Geez, I like to be the bearer of good news; not this insanity.

[Cerridwen]

35. Duvalier has left the courthouse.

MacMcClelland
Duvalier has left the courthouse.
half a minute ago via tweetymail

-------

Returning to hotel? :( Shouldn't he be locked up somewhere? Do they charge him then let him hop a plan later?

:(

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

38. I have to give it to him. he has a gigantic set of balls. nt

[Cerridwen]

52. Or connections with bigger ones.

Not a very good advertisement for "balls" now I think of it.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

63. Indeed. nt

[Cleita]

42. Yes, but will it stick or make a difference?

I feel Duvalier must have calculated his risks before going back. He probably thinks that in the state of chaos the country is in right now that it's ripe for the pickings and that they really can't do anything drastic to him.

[Cerridwen]

43. Yeah. It doesn't look as though they're going to hold him.

Does that mean he leaves on the day he originally planned to?

:(

[Cerridwen]

44. Freed by prosecutors. :(

Haiti's ex-dictator Duvalier charged with corruption; freed by prosecutors


PORT-AU-PRINCE - Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier Tuesday left a courthouse here after being questioned by prosecutors, but had to remain at their disposal, his lawyer told AFP.

"He is free, but has to remain at the disposition of justices," the lawyer said, as Duvalier left the building, still not in handcuffs and accompanied by his companion Veronique Roy.

Asked by AFP how he was feeling as he got into a car to drive away after hours of questioning, Duvalier said simply "fine."

Duvalier has been charged with corruption and misappropriation of public funds after being taken from his hotel to the courthouse following his surprise return to Haiti on Sunday, his lawyer Gervais Charles said earlier.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Haiti+dictator+Duvalier+charged+with+corruption+freed+prosecutors/4126095/story.html#ixzz1BQmr8xsG

[Dappleganger]

48. He'll have the best justice a Duvalier can buy.

Everyone involved will have a piece of the pie.

[Cerridwen]

51. And the people will continue to starve and die of disease while

living in tents as the world looks on shaking its collective head.

And the press will report that the "trains are running on time" and the crime rate has dropped.

[Dappleganger]

54. Yes, this is the Haitien curse.

I hate, hate, hate that people are standing by to let this happen. The World needs to intervene on their behalf while Haiti is in such a weakened state of disrepair. Baby Doc has come to take whatever is left of charity money meant to help the country. My guess is that once it is all gone he will leave because there are no other resources left to exploit.

[Cerridwen]

55. Somewhere in one of the threads I posted yesterday, I noted the

monies might be returned to Haiti and I wondered if he was just showing up before the money arrived.

I feel sick.

[Cerridwen]

50. Another tweet. No comedy here.

Its not a good look Baby Doc to say u came back to rebuild haiti when workers start digging land to plant trees and discover bodies, for you to to say, "who put that there!"

[Cerridwen]

60. Some corrections: he was not "arrested"; but taken in for questioning.

He was not formally charged. Whether or not he will be remains to be seen.

He has been released and must "make himself available" to the authorities; I think that means he's staying in Haiti because the law says he must. Whoop pee.

On a side note: Aristide has been denied a passport. Please note, 'baby doc' flew in on an expired passport.

I'm sure all of this is just coincidence.

I'm sure.

Really.