ARTICLE - HOLDING PASSPORTS

SENATE COMMISSION TO HOLD PRESIDENT'S PASSPORTS INDEFINITELY
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE - The chairman of a special investigating senate commission on nationality, Senator Jean-Charles Moïse (Nord/Inite), announced on Sunday that the commission would hold 8 passports given by President Michel Martelly indefinitely because of irregularities found during analysis.

The President of the Senate, Simon Desras (Centre/Lavni), who accepted the travel documents from an intermediary, Religion for Peace, had told the Head of State that his passports would be returned by Monday, but due to some questionable elements, noted by Commission Chairman Moïse, this may not be possible.

According to Senator Moïse who spoke on Radio Kiskeya Sunday, Michel Martelly used a passport from 1981 to 1993, a period of validity that is abnormal, as the immigration service grants only five years of use to the owner of a Haitian passport.

The commission chairman also reported that of the 8 passports submitted to it, only 4 of them are recorded in the database of the national immigration service.

The chairman said that a second investigation has begun into a possibly fraudulent endorsement on Michel Martelly's passport for a November 21, 2007 airline flight. A senator, whose identity has not been revealed, has already gone to the Toussaint Louverture International Airport to interview immigration officers on how this could have been done, said Moïse.

According to an American Airlines flight manifest for November 21, 2007, a Michel Martelly was not on board but a Michael Martelly was. Michael is an alias used by the Head of State when transacting in the United States. Michel is the passport with the endorsement. Furthermore, the National Palace earlier denied the president having traveled on that day when asked by the commission last month.

The senate commission has requested a copy of the permanent resident card belonging to Michael J. Martelly. The religious mediators have forwarded the request to the Head of State. According to a testimony made by U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Merten, then-President-elect Michel Martelly returned the residency card to the U.S. Embassy in the early days of May before his inauguration on the 14th.

The Haitian Constitution does not allow the President of the Republic to hold two nationalities or to have ever renounced Haitian nationality, which is done by obtaining nationality in a foreign country.