Former Colombian soldier sentenced to life imprisonment in Miami for murder of the president of Haiti

A federal court in Miami sentenced life imprisonment to the former Colombian military man Mario Antonio Palacios, for his participation in a conspiracy to assassinate the Haitian president, Jovenel Moise, in July 2021, according to court records.

After denying his guilt for several months, Palacios, 45, reached an agreement with the Prosecutor's Office in which he promised to collaborate, and this last Friday he appeared in court to receive his sentence.

On July 7, 2021, Palacios was part of the group of mercenaries that murdered Moïse, and the following year was arrested in Panama while being deported from Jamaica to Colombia.

According to the version released by the Prosecutor's Office, the former member of the Colombian army was present at Moïse's residence the day of the murder, although with a minor role in the conspiracy.

The conspirators' original plan was to kidnap Moïse and replace him with Christian Sanon, a Haitian-American citizen. However, when the kidnapping was not achieved, they chose to assassinate the 53-year-old president.

In the attack the first lady, Martine Moïse, suffered a gunshot wound.

Until now, the justice of the United States has charged a total of 11 people in connection with the case and claimed jurisdiction because the plot was partially planned in the state of Florida.

In addition to Palacios, four other people were previously sentenced to life in prison: the Haitian-American Joseph Vincent, the former senator Joseph Joel John, the Haitian-Chilean businessman Rodolphe Year and retired Colombian army officer German Rivera.

Charges of “criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, terrorism, murder and complicity in murder” are also charged against a former prime minister and a former senior police officer.

Currently, Haiti is immersed in a chaos of homicides and violence, since the assassination of Moïse, whose presidential seat has not yet been occupied.

According to an office Reuters, this past weekend violence intensified in the Caribbean nation as some 15,000 people fled the fighting, while thousands of inmates were taken from the largest local jail by armed men.