ARTICLE - LEGER - POLICE DID ITS JOB

FOR MR. FELIX LEGER "THE POLICE DID ITS JOB AND THE JUSTICE APPRECIATES"
(Haiti Libre) -

In the case of the arrest of Deputy Arnel Bélizaire, Mr. Félix Léger the Government Commissioner believes that "the police did its job and the Justice appreciates the work of the police". After this arrest, which raised strong reactions among parliamentarians and divides the population, the Commissioner explained why the deputy was conducted to prison "...the formal order of the justice was to take him there. I don't have to hear him, because the order does not say to bring him to the prosecutor of Port-au-Prince. The order is to seek and deposit him into the National Penitentiary. A magistrate will follow up. [...] it is certain that the police did their job and the Justice appreciates the work of the police [...] When a judge handles a case he assumes the responsibilities. We have documents, we have a case to be treated, we treat the case. [...] We do not have to debate on this issue..."

Concerning the release of Arnel Bélizaire on June 23, 2006 when the magistrate Napela Saintil had judged Mr. Bélizaire for illegal possession of automatic firearms, convicted and released under the benefit of the law Lespinasse, because of 18 months of preventive detention [quantum of his sentence accoring to the words of his lawyer, Camille Leblanc] the Government Commissioner said that "It is to Mr. Bélizaire to prove how he got released or not. We will not go there,... one thing is certain,... the police executed an order of the Prosecutor of Port-au-Prince and the case is ongoing. Now we will deal with the matter promptly. [...]"

Asked about the parliamentary immunity of the Deputy, Mr. Félix Léger said "I read the Constitution, ...I will read it again, word by word. I appreciate the spirit of the constituents. I did not see that it is marked "immunity" nowhere [...] simply we are treating a case. The case will make its way and that's it. I have not seen the word "immunity" in the Constitution, unless my Constitution is different from others [...]"

To know if the arrest is for arbitrary acts, the Commissioner specified that "the file will say, if they are for arbitrary acts or not,... now, in regard to 'this military arm of the executive,' so far, the Minister of Justice did not intervene [.. .] Justice is not in business with a deputy, ... justice is dealing with a citizen [...] there is a citizen who has trouble with the law,... justice has done its job, ....that's what's important [...]"