Overview:
In a report published Thursday, Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) revealed major embezzlement cases involving former officials from the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC), Office of Work-Related Accidents, Sickness and Maternity Insurance (OFATMA) and the Immigration and Emigration Office, totaling over $987,000 in public losses. Renan Hédouville (OPC) is accused of fictitious trips, Carl François (OFATMA) of illegal catering contracts and Stéphane Vincent (Immigration) of passport fraud. The ULCC warns of weak judicial follow-up amid Haiti’s long-standing failure to prosecute corruption.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — The Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) submitted six investigative reports on May 8, revealing major mismanagement and embezzlement of over one million dollars across Haiti’s public institutions. The most serious cases—totaling over $987,000 in misused state funds—involve the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC), Office of Work-Related Accidents, Sickness and Maternity Insurance (OFATMA) and the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE).
Former Ombudsman Renan Hédouville is accused of diverting funds for fictitious missions and claiming per diems and plane tickets for 10 official trips between 2019 and 2024 that never occurred. The ULCC reported $127,630 in expenses linked to these fictitious missions, including:
- $15,960 personally collected by Hédouville.
- $14,500 by his chief of staff, Régine Hédouville—his daughter.
- $11,800 by IT coordinator Tex Willer Célafoi Louis, the former OPC director’s son-in-law.
Records show Louis and his wife Régine suspiciously withdrew $23,375 from their Capital Bank and UNIBANK accounts. Several other OPC employees, including Juliana Thomas Simplice and Jean Jolin Dodier, received more than $28,000 in bogus per diem payments.
The report says tickets were purchased from the Sans Souci travel agency operated by Marie France Petoia—without public tenders—violating procurement laws. Despite being summoned, Hédouville refused to appear before investigators, instead suing the ULCC and claiming his email was hacked. A warrant has since been issued for his arrest.
The ULCC recommends charges for embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and unlawful contracting, and calls for a Supreme Court audit of his term.
François and Vincent targeted in catering contract scandal and passport fraud scheme
Carl François, former OFATMA director, is accused of handpicking two catering companies—Valcuisine and Oley Event and Food Services—without a bidding process. One of the co-directors, Valérie Nadia Victor, is a political ally of François, and both belong to the MTV Ayiti party. The ULCC flagged this as a clear conflict of interest.
Valcuisine received $791,325—95% of the $828,025 OFATMA spent on food services between 2022 and 2025. Their meals cost more than the previous provider’s, and required tax deductions were skipped, costing the state an additional $16,570.
François, Victor and Valmine Jean Jacques now face recommended charges for forgery, conflict of interest and embezzlement.
“The documented facts constitute criminal offenses and deserve exemplary sanctions to restore State authority.”
Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC)
In just under four months at the helm of the Immigration Directorate, Stéphane Vincent is accused of authorizing 556 passport issuances without proper tax payments—costing the state $28,120.
According to the ULCC, Vincent and several public officials—including Lesly Saint Juste, Marriantha Merone, and Rubens Pauleon—used a fake user account under the alias Fernando Victor to validate passport applications without payments being processed through the treasury.
The agency is calling for prosecution and sanctions, including asset freezes for all involved.
The Hédouville, Vincent and François cases are part of a broader corruption investigation uncovered by the ULCC. Three additional reports highlight broader public fund abuses totaling $903,076 :
- Four passport centers in Delmas, Tabarre, Pétion-Ville and Rue Lamarre, Port-au-Prince, illegally collected $557,692 in cash under Vincent’s directives.
- A no-bid public contract worth $261,538 was issued, and $83,846 was spent without documentation.
- In Saint-Marc, officials, including Washny Bien-Aimé and Castel Ertilus deposited state funds into a personal account and paid themselves salaries and per diems without authorization.
- In Hinche, public official Gerline Joseph illegally allocated farmland to a personal contact using falsified documents.
Little action from the justice system
Despite the scale of these offenses, the ULCC warns that Haiti’s justice system has rarely followed through. Between 2004 and 2024, the agency submitted 87 reports recommending criminal prosecution. Only one case led to a conviction, while four were closed—one through dismissal.
The agency now urges the judiciary to take firm action, including prosecuting named individuals, freezing assets and enforcing full audits.
Editor’s note: These reports are part of an ongoing investigation into government corruption. The Haitian Times will continue tracking developments as they unfold.