Kidnapping trial begins for son of prominent Haitian family
By David McFadden
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti _ A high-profile kidnapping trial started Thursday for the son of a prominent Haitian family with extensive business holdings in the Caribbean nation.
Clifford Brandt was first jailed in 2012 for allegedly kidnapping two adult children of another wealthy family and demanding a ransom of $2.5 million. He escaped from a maximum-security lockup in a mass breakout in 2014 but was recaptured a couple of days later near the Dominican border.
On Thursday, masked officers carried duffel bags stuffed with evidence into a courtroom in downtown Port-au-Prince. One law enforcer carried a baseball bat to be entered into evidence.
Brandt was later escorted into the courthouse, which had a strong police presence.
He has denied any wrongdoing and his lawyers have said the allegations stemmed from a family dispute. He and several alleged co-conspirators have been charged with kidnapping for ransom, money laundering, and illegal possession of weapons, among other charges.
Prosecution team lawyer Francois Amiel asserted Thursday that there is “strong evidence” against Brandt and his alleged co-conspirators. He said he could not estimate how long the trial might take.
The trial is being regarded as a test of Haiti’s justice system, which has long been regarded as corrupt and dysfunctional.
“We know what the law says. We will see if it is going to apply in this case,” said prominent human rights lawyer Mario Joseph, adding he was satisfied that a new “respectable” judge was appointed to the non-jury criminal trial.
A 2012 report from Haiti’s National Human Rights Defence Network alleged that Brandt was the leader of a gang that had at least 13 victims. It said investigators seized weapons, cars, uniforms of the Haitian National Police and an ID card for Haiti’s National Palace issued to Brandt and listing him as an adviser.
Kidnappings soared in Haiti after the 2004 rebellion that ousted then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. But U.N. peacekeepers and Haitian police successfully cracked down on the crime and kidnappings, especially of foreigners, has become relatively unusual.
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David McFadden on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmcfadd
