Colombian mercenaries admit to assassinating Haitian president, according to TV station

Former Colombian soldiers imprisoned in Haiti accepted their responsibility in the assassination of the president of that country, Jovenel Moise, in an action perpetrated on 7 July at his residence in Port-au-Prince in which his wife, Martine, was wounded, according to Caracol Noticias on Wednesday.

The television channel said that the statements are contained in 15 hours of audio recordings to which it had access and in which four of those involved narrate their version of what happened that day and in the hours following the assassination.

Those who speak in the audios are identified as retired army captain Germán Rivera García, retired second lieutenant Jheyner Carmona, retired sergeant Ángel Yarce Sierra and retired professional soldier Naiser Franco Castañeda.

According to accounts obtained by Caracol Noticias, Joseph Felix Badio, a former official of the Haitian Ministry of Justice, was the one who gave Rivera the order for the operation that ended with Moise's murder.

In the audio, who introduces himself as Rivera, whom the other ex-military officers called "Mike", says: "(Badio) said that everyone had to be killed. Everyone is the police, the president's security, everyone inside the house, that they had to be killed."

Carmona said that the order given to them by "Mike" was that "we had to go in and kill everyone, we had to kill all the police, or rather, if there was even a pet, kill the pet, that there could not be any witnesses".

The retired sergeant added: "They sold us the idea that this was the arrest warrant, that it was an arrest warrant, but 'Mike' told us that it was time to 'peel' (kill) the president".

Information from Caracol Noticias indicates that ex-soldier Víctor Pineda Cardona was the one who shot President Moise, as witnessed by Franco Castañeda.

"They say it was Pineda. They heard it from him. He's worried sick, that boy has no peace," the man who identifies himself as Franco is heard saying in the audio.

On the other hand, Caracol Noticias indicated that the assault on Moise's residence lasted around 30 minutes and that after assassinating the president, the mercenaries searched for money and valuables.

Before the operation, the report says, they had been told that Moise had between 18 and 45 million dollars in his house, and in the room they found two suitcases and three boxes apparently loaded with banknotes.

The group loaded the money into vehicles and, following the established plan, headed for the presidential palace, where the new president of Haiti, whom they were supposed to protect, was to be sworn in.

The retreat to the presidential palace was coordinated by retired army sergeant Duberney Capador, who was killed in the incident, as were Miguel Guillermo Garzón and Mauricio Javier Romero.

"Capador was taking us to the Palace, because at the Palace they were going to protect us, and the police were there to protect us", said the person who claims to be Yarce.

He explained that on the way they came across some vehicles stuck in the road, so they had to stop and get out.

Subsequently, the Haitian police blocked their way with pick-up trucks and tanks, and the group took refuge in a house from which they were evicted with tear gas.

The assassination of Moise was committed, according to the investigations, by a commando of 26 mercenaries who broke into the presidential residence without encountering any resistance from the security forces guarding the president.

According to the latest police figures, 44 people have been arrested, including 12 members of the police, as well as 18 Colombians, mostly retired military personnel, and six Haitians, three of them naturalised Americans.