ARTICLE - JACMEL - EMBEZZLEMENT AT ONA

SCANDAL IN JACMEL, EMBEZZLEMENT AT ONA
(Haiti Libre) -

Jean Alix Boyer, Director General of the "Office National of Old Age Insurance" (ONA), at the head of a delegation in the metropolis of the South-East since Wednesday, September 14, 2011, accompanied by a Justice of the Peace and the Police Nationale d'Haiti (PNH) are investigating the management of the administration of Herno Jeudi and Hector Noël, who are respectively the Regional Director and Deputy Director of the ONA in Jacmel.

According to information provided to HaitiLibre, from a reliable source, Director Herno Jeudi may have fled about one week before the arrival of the Commission of Inquiry.

Last Wednesday, Jean Alix Boyer who continues to listen to the employees, had forced the employees to leave the office at 8pm, provoking the anger of the latter.

The residence of Deputy Director Hector Noël, was searched. One of the relatives of the Director, Herno Jeudi was arrested by the police. The Director General of ONA in Haiti, declined to comment to the local press.

The first Senator of the South East, Edwin Daniel Zenny, stated that this investigation into the management of the administration of the regional office of the ONA, is an alarm that shows the acceleration of the anti-corruption machine of the government of Joseph Michel Martelly throughout all public institutions of the country.

Senator Zenny, member of the Anti-Corruption Commission in the Senate, said that an amount estimated between 7 and 13 millions gourds ($175,000 to $325,000 US$), has been diverted within the regional office of the ONA in Jacmel. He expressed hope that the outcome of the investigation will be made public and that all accomplices will be arrested for trial. Edwin Daniel Zenny hopes that the people involved in the region will not be the only ones to be punished in this case.

Meanwhile, reactions are coming from both sides of the community of Jacmel on the presence of this Commission. On all city sidewalks, people are questioning the silent way in which the Director General of the ONA, is conducting this investigation. Taxpayers so far, know nothing and there is no clear precision in this case.

Jean Jeudi, defender of human rights of Society MAKAYA (SOMA), in an interview with Haitilibre congratulated the Directorate General of ONA, who chooses to conduct this investigation in the region. The human rights defender estimates at 90% the complicity of the Director Herno Jeudi, currently in the marquis. The administrator of SOMA indicated that acts of fraud have been perpetrated by an association of criminals operating within the ONA of Jacmel. Jeudi Jean hopes that this report be made public as soon as possible and that the real culprits are apprehended and brought before the competent authorities for justice.

Note that ONA is part of one of the public institutions discredited by the population in the department of the south-east. It is classified as one of the public offices with the most employees. This does not prevent the population from criticizing the quality of services offered by this institution. "By 1pm, the doors of this office are nearly closed and the majority of employees have already been released," lamented some taxpayers. According to the same source to HaitiLibre, leading figures are involved in this case of embezzlement at ONA. A case that HaitiLibre will closely monitor in the region.