Colombian Mercenaries Admit Assassination of Haitian President

Colombian ex-military men accepted their responsibility in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, as confirmed by Caracol, a Colombian TV channel that accessed 15 hours of audio recordings in which the mercenaries narrated what happened on July 7.

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The recordings feature the voices of retired Army Captain German Rivera, retired Second Lieutenant Jheyner Carmona, retired Sergeant Angel Yarce Sierra, and retired soldier Naiser Franco Castañeda. They confirmed that Joseph Felix Badio, a former official of the Haitian Justice Ministry, gave Rivera the order for the assassination of Moise.

Badio "said that we should kill everyone. The police, the president's security, everyone inside the house. They all had to be killed," Rivera said.

"We had to go in and kill everyone... if there was a pet, it had to be killed. There could be no witnesses left," Carmona said, referring to the order that Rivera transmitted to him. Former soldier Victor Pineda was the one who shot President Moise.

"They say it was Pineda. They heard it from himself. He is extremely worried. That boy has no peace," says someone who identifies himself as Franco in the audio.

Before the assault on the Presidential residence, the mercenaries were told that Moise had up to US$45 million in cash at home. Therefore, after assassinating him, the Colombians stayed in the residence looking for that loot. Actually, they found two suitcases and three boxes loaded with bills.

After uploading the money in their vehicles, the Colombian mercenaries headed for the Presidential palace because the new Haitian president, whom they had to protect, would wait for them there.

In the assassination initial plan, the withdrawal of the mercenaries should have been protected by Haitian police and coordinated by retired Sergeant Duberney Capador. However, this did not happen because this Colombian mercenary, Miguel Garzon, and Mauricio Romero died in the operation.

Besides, as they tried to flee, the Haitian police blocked their way with trucks and tanks. Therefore, the Colombians took refuge in a house from which they were evicted with tear gas.

So far, the Haitian authorities have detained 44 people involved in Moise's murder. Among them are 12 Haitian police officers, 18 Colombian mercenaries, and three Haitian-American fortune soldiers.