Photos

Here is a picture of the Florestal brothers who have been released from prison by Cour d'Appel of Port-au-Prince. They were considered as political prisoners

Enold Florestal and his brother Josue, who were arrested and imprisoned 17 months ago on the charge of murdering a student named Frantzy Duverseau at his Port-au-Prince home on October 18, 2010, have been released from prison on December 19, 2014, three days after an Appellate Court ruled. On August 27, 2013, Haitian investigative judge Lamarre Bélizaire (he is said to be close to Martelly's government) ordered the arrests of four people--two brothers, Enold and Josué Florestal, their attorney André Michel and a police agent named Jeanco Honorat. The two brothers were plaintiffs in a suit accusing First Lady Sophia Martelly, and his son, Olivier Martelly, of corruption. On October 18, 2010, following an altercation between Mr. Enold and his in-laws, Enold reportedly assaulted his wife Fabienne Duverseau. When her brother Frantzy intervened, Enold was injured. He went to call the police and came back to the spot with his brother Josué, their attorney, André Michel and a police agent named Honorat. When Frantzy resisted arrest, Honorat shot him dead. In a September 2 report, Haitian independent National Human Rights Defense Network concluded the failure to identify which of the accused was a material author and which one acted as accomplice and issuing arrest warrant in such a state "constitutes a vast joke."

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Several Haitian business people have come out to urge all the parties to find a solution to the current crisis as it is affecting business in Haiti big time.

"Haïti Chérie" is a group of business entrepreneurs and business leaders, formed with a mission to promote entrepreneurship and encourage the middle class and less fortunate in Haiti so that they can achieve their full potential. The group was officially launched on November 24, 2014. The pilot project of "Haïti Chérie" targets 20 small businesses in the agricultural sectors, to evaluate their capabilities and support needs and connects them to the concerned ministries. The group has called on all parties to avoid violence and reach a consensus to hold early election to avoid all impending political crisis. However, their voice has remained unheard to the radical oppositions and Fanmi Lavalas who have rejected every possibility of a truce.

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Here is a picture of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori during a visit in the city of Cap-Haitian, Haiti

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954, in Pensacola, Florida) recently visited Cap-Haitien on December 18, 2014. She became the first primate ever to visit northern Haiti. She is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States and the first woman elected as a primate in the Anglican Communion. This trip of her to Haiti was followed by a three day trip to the Dominican Republic, where she has learned about the inhuman effort of the Dominican authority to strip rights of citizenships and basic amenities to people of Haitian descent. She has explained the reason of her visit to Haiti in a clear way, "When the country is in trouble and the government asks us for help, it is our task, a part of our ministry, to bring the people together. Together, we can decide to use our voices and actions to change the world's bad news... ,". This trip between Dec. 13-15, is her sixth trip in Haiti since 2008. She has shown how little it takes to please people who have very little, in terms of our 'worldly goods'.

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Here is a picture of the Final National Digicel "Entrepreneur de l'année 2014" that took place on December 16, at Hotel Caribe in Haiti

This year, a short list of 85 finalists for 2014 EOTY has been prepared out of over 250 initial entries and the list reflects the changing face of a new Haiti moving on a journey to advancement and prosperity. This year the winners will be selected in a new way-- two finalists from each category will be selected from the west, and one from each category in the center, north and south Haiti. The theme of the award has been chosen as "A Voice for Entrepreneurs". The entrepreneurs will describe what they need to achieve success, how they achieve growth, what they can to contribute to the community and their vision for the future. Maarten Boute, the CEO of Digicel Haiti, has welcomed the rise in the number of women finalists (25% from an earlier 20%). The first twenty five finalists will be taken to an executive education program at Florida International University in Miami, focusing on finding new opportunities and achieving success.

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Here is a picture where President Michel Martelly was Meeting with leaders of Fanmi Lavalas at l'hôtel Kinam on December 17, 2014

The President expressed his satisfaction to the press on his meeting with the opposition leaders. The opposition leaders have stated that they were able to discuss the right processes for implementation of the recommendations. However, they had added, the success depends on the implementation of these recommendations by Martelly administration.

Practically the battle between the political parties concerns over the issue of overseeing the election-- who will umpire the upcoming elections. Senate President Simon Desrashas has commented that the country is presently passing through a complex and politically turbulent time. We need a new government as soon as possible.

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Here is a picture where Michel Martelly Meeting was meeting with leaders of FUSION, Kontra Pèp, INITE and Ayisyen pou Ayiti at Hotel Kinam

On December 17, 2014, the Haitian President Michele Martelly held a meeting with the opposition leaders to find a way out to avoid the impending political crisis to which the country is heading in the absence of a long overdue legislative election. Haiti was supposed to hold this election in October 2011 for a majority of Senate seats, the entire Chamber of Deputies and local offices and such failure has continued to foster political uncertainty and had deterred the right to political participation. One third of the Senate seats have become vacant in last October and the fate of another one third has become uncertain because of some conflicting interpretations of a 2008 electoral law by the political parties. In a consequence, out of 140 elected posts in the municipalities, 129 posts have expired in October 2011. The Martelly administration had filled these posts with political appointees in 2012. President Martelly, under the pressure of the United Nations and other international actors convoked a special session of Parliament on November 22 to prepare a draft electoral law for regulating the overdue elections but that has remained unsuccessful.

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Here is a picture of former Mayor of North Miami, Lucie Tondreau in the program "Une Personnalité dit tout" at Radio Television Caraibes with Gaspard Dorelien

Mayor Lucie Tondreau Arrested By FBI For Mortgage Fraud

Lucie Tondreau is the first Haitian American woman elected as a mayor in the city of North Miami. Unfortunately, Tondreau, along with three other suspects are facing charges of criminal conspiracy case in a federal mortgage fraud indictment committed between late 2005 and May of 2008 on 20 properties. A native of Haiti, Tondreau was elected as mayor in last June, beating out former mayor Kevin Burns in a runoff. Kevin later filed a lawsuit accusing Tondreau a non-resident, not living in the city for at least a year before the election. However, the charge was later dismissed. The FBI went to arrest Lucie on May 19, 2014, however, she was out of the town on a planned trip- attending a convention in Las Vegas. Her three other co-conspirators were Karl Oreste, 56, (president of the KMC Mortgage Corporation of Florida, a mortgage lending business in North Miami Beach), Marie Okechukwu Josiah aka OJ" Odunna, 49, an attorney from Lauderdale Lakes and Kelly Augustin, 57, of North Miami, a former recruiter of Orestes' mortgage firm, KMC Corp.

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Here is a picture of Mayor Lucie Tondreau before her arrest by FBI for mortgage fraud. She was the first Haitian-American woman to hold the position. She has been a Haitian activist in the Haitian community in Miami for several years

Her three other co-conspirators were Karl Oreste, Marie Okechukwu Josiah and Kelly Augustin.

Oreste used to identify residential properties in South Florida that were open to sale. Oreste and Tondreau advertised the unique services offered by KMC Mortgage. They recruited some paid individuals who posed as the borrowers of KMC Mortgage. The conspirators prepared loan applications for these straw borrowers with false information which were submitted to various mortgage lenders throughout the United States. Once these loan applications were approved, the lenders wired loan funds to O.J. Odunna, and other title companies for closing. The conspirators created and submitted several duplicate HUD-1 Settlement Statement Forms where the price of the property was grossly inflated and it represented many false cash and down payments of earlier loans by the straw borrowers to close obligations which they never made. The disbursed portion of the loan amount was channelled through Oreste's corporation to the conspirators' bank and other accounts. A substantial portion of the funds went to Tondreau's bank accounts of the LTO Investment Corporation. It has been estimated that the lenders have suffered a loss amounting around $8 million. If convicted, the conspirators may face a maximum term of 30 years in prison.

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After the lynching of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam for the massacre of 167 political prisoners, US feared that anti-US Caco leader Rosalvo Bobo might take over. President Wilson as a consequence ordered the invasion of Haiti

The US marines headed by Admiral William B. Caperton stormed the shores of Haiti. During the invasion of the American military forces in Haiti, Rosalvo Bobo was very popular. He was known as the rebel leader who managed to remove Vilbrun Guillaume Sam from power. However, Admiral William B. Caperton considered him as an enemy of the US and instead selected Sudre Dartiguenave to become president.

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Here is a picture of the Haitian president michel Martelly in a tour of the Marche Hyppolite in Cap-Haitian in July, 2011. He was in the region to promote tourism in several regions in Haiti. Although the Marche en fer in port-au-Prince has recently received all the glories due to the major invest ment of the executive director of Digicel company, our own Marche hyppolite in Cap-Haitian is as historic as the one in Port-au-Prince.

It was also a great gesture for the presiden of Haiti Michel Martelly to pay a visit to the Marche Hyppolite in Cap-Haitian

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