Colombia national pleads not guilty to Haitian president assassination charges News
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Colombia national pleads not guilty to Haitian president assassination charges

Former Colombian soldier Mario Palacios Monday pleaded not guilty to charges by US prosecutors that he conspired to commit murder or kidnapping in connection with the assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moise, according to Reuters. Moise was assassinated on July 7, 2021.

The case is currently before United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where Attorney Alfredo Izaguirre represents Palacios. Izaguirre entered a not-guilty plea in a brief hearing.

The Department of Justice charged Palacios last November. The complaint alleged that Palacios was among approximately 20 other Colombian citizens and Haiti-based Haitian-American citizens participating in a conspiracy to kill or kidnap Moise. A crew of gunmen, allegedly including Palacios, stormed the former Haitian president’s residence in Port-au-Prince. The plot that was allegedly only intended to seize Moise resulted in his death.

Palacios avoided arrest in Haiti and traveled to Jamaica. Soon after, he was deported. US authorities extradited Palacios during his layover in Panama while returning to Haiti.

The Department of Justice charged a second co-conspirator, Rodolphe Jaar, in January. The Justice Department stated that Jaar was arrested in the Dominican Republic and agreed to travel to the US. Jaar’s case is also being heard in the Southern District of Florida.

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