Jean-Claude Duvalier, alias Baby Doc, then life President of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince. Court ruling would give money to family of former dictator, but Swiss justice minister wants it to go to earthquake relief instead.
The amount of money contested could feed more than a million Haitians for two weeks.
The court's decision was reached before the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, but only published Wednesday.
It prompted the Swiss government to issue an emergency decree to keep the money frozen in a Swiss bank until a new law can be passed allowing it to be donated to aid groups working in Haiti. “This is a public relations disaster for Switzerland,” said Mark Pieth, a Swiss professor with a long résumé in international corruption cases such as the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.
In the decision, the Federal Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that the money should have gone to aid groups working in the impoverished country because the statute of limitations on any crimes committed by the Duvalier clan would have expired in 2001.
Delays are common in Switzerland between court verdicts and their public announcements, but the release of the decision could not have come at a worse time. Beyond depriving Haiti's relief efforts of additional money, the ruling also strikes a blow at Switzerland's long-standing efforts to shed its image as an investment haven for the world's dictators.
“We assume that this money doesn't belong to the Duvalier family,” said Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the Swiss Justice Minister. “We've blocked the money again today to prevent that it goes somewhere that it shouldn't for political reasons. We really hope that this money finally goes back to the country.”
Many Haitians accuse Mr. Duvalier and his entourage of robbing millions from public funds before he was ousted in 1986. Mr. Duvalier is believed to be living in exile in France and has always denied wrongdoing.
The decision cannot be appealed, but the Swiss Foreign Ministry said it would try to keep the money from being withdrawn while it works on a better national law for dealing with assets of “criminal origin.” It said the amount of money actually totalled $5.7-million, though the reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
The government “wants to avoid the Swiss financial centre serving as a haven for illegally acquired assets,” it said in a statement, adding that a new law working retroactively could be ready this month. Ms. Widmer-Schlumpf was less optimistic, but said the law could come into effect as early as 2011.
Switzerland has traditionally been a favourite location for potentate money because of its banking secrecy rules. But reforms over the last two decades have made it harder to hide money in Switzerland, and the country has become a world leader in returning cash.
Haiti made its first request for the money in 1986, shortly after Mr. Duvalier's ouster.
But it has been frozen ever since because Switzerland would not give it back while the Haitian government wasn't pursuing Mr. Duvalier under its own justice system. As a way out, the Swiss government had proposed giving the money to aid groups working in Haiti.
“At a time when everyone tries to help Haiti, issuing a decision that the money belongs to the dictator's family because of the statute of limitations is very clumsy,” Prof. Pieth said. “You have a head of state with a secret army that tortures people, and at the same time he empties the state treasury. The people cannot defend themselves. It's robbing from the people, and this aspect has to be addressed by the court.”
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Friday, February 05, 2010
DTN News: Swiss Aim To Award Haiti's 'Baby Doc' Millions To Charity
DTN News: Swiss Aim To Award Haiti's 'Baby Doc' Millions To Charity
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Eliane Engeler
(NSI News Source Info) GENEVA, Switzerland - February 6, 2010: In an embarrassment to Switzerland's government, the country's top court said Wednesday that at least $4.6-million (U.S.) in Swiss bank accounts previously awarded to charities must be returned to the family of Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier. Jean-Claude Duvalier, alias Baby Doc, then life President of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince. Court ruling would give money to family of former dictator, but Swiss justice minister wants it to go to earthquake relief instead.
The amount of money contested could feed more than a million Haitians for two weeks.
The court's decision was reached before the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, but only published Wednesday.
It prompted the Swiss government to issue an emergency decree to keep the money frozen in a Swiss bank until a new law can be passed allowing it to be donated to aid groups working in Haiti. “This is a public relations disaster for Switzerland,” said Mark Pieth, a Swiss professor with a long résumé in international corruption cases such as the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.
In the decision, the Federal Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that the money should have gone to aid groups working in the impoverished country because the statute of limitations on any crimes committed by the Duvalier clan would have expired in 2001.
Delays are common in Switzerland between court verdicts and their public announcements, but the release of the decision could not have come at a worse time. Beyond depriving Haiti's relief efforts of additional money, the ruling also strikes a blow at Switzerland's long-standing efforts to shed its image as an investment haven for the world's dictators.
“We assume that this money doesn't belong to the Duvalier family,” said Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the Swiss Justice Minister. “We've blocked the money again today to prevent that it goes somewhere that it shouldn't for political reasons. We really hope that this money finally goes back to the country.”
Many Haitians accuse Mr. Duvalier and his entourage of robbing millions from public funds before he was ousted in 1986. Mr. Duvalier is believed to be living in exile in France and has always denied wrongdoing.
The decision cannot be appealed, but the Swiss Foreign Ministry said it would try to keep the money from being withdrawn while it works on a better national law for dealing with assets of “criminal origin.” It said the amount of money actually totalled $5.7-million, though the reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
The government “wants to avoid the Swiss financial centre serving as a haven for illegally acquired assets,” it said in a statement, adding that a new law working retroactively could be ready this month. Ms. Widmer-Schlumpf was less optimistic, but said the law could come into effect as early as 2011.
Switzerland has traditionally been a favourite location for potentate money because of its banking secrecy rules. But reforms over the last two decades have made it harder to hide money in Switzerland, and the country has become a world leader in returning cash.
Haiti made its first request for the money in 1986, shortly after Mr. Duvalier's ouster.
But it has been frozen ever since because Switzerland would not give it back while the Haitian government wasn't pursuing Mr. Duvalier under its own justice system. As a way out, the Swiss government had proposed giving the money to aid groups working in Haiti.
“At a time when everyone tries to help Haiti, issuing a decision that the money belongs to the dictator's family because of the statute of limitations is very clumsy,” Prof. Pieth said. “You have a head of state with a secret army that tortures people, and at the same time he empties the state treasury. The people cannot defend themselves. It's robbing from the people, and this aspect has to be addressed by the court.”
Jean-Claude Duvalier, alias Baby Doc, then life President of Haiti, in Port-au-Prince. Court ruling would give money to family of former dictator, but Swiss justice minister wants it to go to earthquake relief instead.
The amount of money contested could feed more than a million Haitians for two weeks.
The court's decision was reached before the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, but only published Wednesday.
It prompted the Swiss government to issue an emergency decree to keep the money frozen in a Swiss bank until a new law can be passed allowing it to be donated to aid groups working in Haiti. “This is a public relations disaster for Switzerland,” said Mark Pieth, a Swiss professor with a long résumé in international corruption cases such as the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.
In the decision, the Federal Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that the money should have gone to aid groups working in the impoverished country because the statute of limitations on any crimes committed by the Duvalier clan would have expired in 2001.
Delays are common in Switzerland between court verdicts and their public announcements, but the release of the decision could not have come at a worse time. Beyond depriving Haiti's relief efforts of additional money, the ruling also strikes a blow at Switzerland's long-standing efforts to shed its image as an investment haven for the world's dictators.
“We assume that this money doesn't belong to the Duvalier family,” said Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the Swiss Justice Minister. “We've blocked the money again today to prevent that it goes somewhere that it shouldn't for political reasons. We really hope that this money finally goes back to the country.”
Many Haitians accuse Mr. Duvalier and his entourage of robbing millions from public funds before he was ousted in 1986. Mr. Duvalier is believed to be living in exile in France and has always denied wrongdoing.
The decision cannot be appealed, but the Swiss Foreign Ministry said it would try to keep the money from being withdrawn while it works on a better national law for dealing with assets of “criminal origin.” It said the amount of money actually totalled $5.7-million, though the reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
The government “wants to avoid the Swiss financial centre serving as a haven for illegally acquired assets,” it said in a statement, adding that a new law working retroactively could be ready this month. Ms. Widmer-Schlumpf was less optimistic, but said the law could come into effect as early as 2011.
Switzerland has traditionally been a favourite location for potentate money because of its banking secrecy rules. But reforms over the last two decades have made it harder to hide money in Switzerland, and the country has become a world leader in returning cash.
Haiti made its first request for the money in 1986, shortly after Mr. Duvalier's ouster.
But it has been frozen ever since because Switzerland would not give it back while the Haitian government wasn't pursuing Mr. Duvalier under its own justice system. As a way out, the Swiss government had proposed giving the money to aid groups working in Haiti.
“At a time when everyone tries to help Haiti, issuing a decision that the money belongs to the dictator's family because of the statute of limitations is very clumsy,” Prof. Pieth said. “You have a head of state with a secret army that tortures people, and at the same time he empties the state treasury. The people cannot defend themselves. It's robbing from the people, and this aspect has to be addressed by the court.”
Thursday, January 28, 2010
DTN News: Joint Task Force Organizes Haitian Airport
DTN News: Joint Task Force Organizes Haitian Airport
*Source: U.S. DoD issued January 28, 2010 By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service
(NSI News Source Info) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, - January 28, 2010: When a disaster strikes, people assume it should be easy to get relief supplies in. 
A C-130 Hercules transport lands as Air Force aerial porters move cargo at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Dustin Doyle (Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.
A C-130 Hercules transport lands as Air Force aerial porters move cargo at the airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Dustin Doyle (Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.
But it’s not always a simple proposition. Can the airport’s runway support the weight of cargo aircraft? What is the security situation like? What equipment does the airport have for unloading and loading? How many people and the means to support and supply them will be needed?
All of these questions and more are in the realm of Joint Task Force Port Opening at Toussaint L’Overture International Airport here. The unit, operating under U.S. Transportation Command, opened the airport after the magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Haiti Jan. 12 and has been responsible for operations on the airport’s ramp since then.
The task force contains the Air Force’s 621st Contingency Response Group, from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and the Army’s 688th Transportation Detachment for rapid port opening from Fort Eustis, Va.
The disaster in Haiti marks the first time “the whole enchilada” has been used in an operation, said Air Force Col. Patrick Hollrah, the task force commander.
“Something of this magnitude takes the whole team to make it happen,” he said during a recent interview. “This is, unfortunately, what we were made to do. It is our job to respond to these.” The unit was the second one on the ground after the Air Force Special Operations Command team. “[The special operations team] brought a special tactics team with them that was restoring order and starting to control the airflow in,” Hollrah said. “There were literally airplanes parked everywhere.”
The terminal building, while still standing, has cracks all through it and cannot be used.
Aircraft parked where they could and crews improvised the unloading process. That caused confusion beyond belief, the colonel said. Relief supplies got intermixed and trucks drove straight down the ramp to load supplies.
“We started working in tandem [with the Air Force special operations team] to get airplanes unloaded so they could get off the ramp to clear off parking spaces so more airplanes could come in,” Hollrah said. It was a short time from order to execution, so the team surveyed the area on the flight down to Haiti and had an idea of how they wanted to set up the unit.
“The biggest challenge was the volume of air traffic, volume of vehicles and the volume of people on an airport ramp,” he said. “Anywhere else, a ramp is a restricted area. Not here.”
The unit is trying to get control of the safety and distribution parts of the equation, but it is slow going. “Eventually, we’ll get back to a point that improves safety and allows the traffic to flow where it needs to when it needs to,” Hollrah said. “It will also make the unloading and distribution process faster.”
Aerial port airmen unload the aircraft and move the goods off the ramp. Army vehicles take the goods and move them to a forward distribution node, about a mile away. “This opens up the ramp space and stops having trucks drive right on the ramp to pick up supplies,” said Army Maj. Vicky Snow, the 688th commander.
The soldiers stack the goods and, using rough-terrain forklifts, load trucks from governmental and nongovernmental agencies. By far, the most goods in the supply yard belong to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is responsible for picking up the relief supplies and distributing them. That process is moving smoothly.
Nongovernmental agencies also pick up their goods at the yard, and this can be more of a problem. In one case, someone donated a plane to airlift supplies to the effort, and several organizations placed goods aboard it without tracking numbers, or even labels.
“Separating these out and ensuring they go to who they belong to can cause problems,” Snow said. “In other cases, they don’t have the right trucks to load with a forklift, so we have to break down the palettes and load [the vehicles] by hand. This takes time.”
These are small units. “We have all our people cross-trained, and everybody pitches in to ensure the mission gets done,” Hollrah said. “We’re a bridging force that can come in quickly to get the process started. Then we turn the responsibility over to government or non-governmental agencies.”
The unit not only handles supplies coming in, but also helps the State Department with refugees getting out.
“We have a high-volume evacuation of American citizens,” said Air Force Maj. Matt Jones, the task force’s operations officer. “We’ve been averaging 1,200 American citizens per day that have been getting on U.S. military and commercial aircraft and getting back home.”
Before the earthquake, the airport saw 30 flights on a busy day, and those were mostly during daylight. At its peak, since the disaster, the airport received 120 flights per day 24 hours a day. The most recent statistics show the airport has handled at least 12 million pounds of relief supplies, and this does not count critical supplies that medical and relief personnel brought with them.
The joint task force will continue until its services are no longer needed, Hollrah said, or until the mission is taken over by other organizations.
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