Haitian government needs more time

Letter to Swiss government - Stop the release of money stolen by Duvalier, 30 May 2007

Direction de la coopération du Gouvernement Suisse:
Monsieur Michael Ambühl, Secrétaire d’État et chef de la Direction politique
Monsieur Paul Seger, Chef de la Direction de droit international
Madame Yvonne Baumann, cheffe de la Division Politique Amérique.

Dear Sir/Madam,

We understand that the Swiss government is on the point of releasing 7.6m Swiss francs (US$6.18m) held in Swiss bank accounts by the former dictator, Jean-Claude Duvalier. We are reliably informed that this money was stolen from the Haitian State (and therefore from the Haitian people) before Jean-Claude Duvalier went into exile in 1986.

The Haiti Support Group - a British organisation working in solidarity with the Haitian people for 15 years - is calling for immediate action to stop this scandal. The Swiss government must act to block the release of the frozen accounts, and allow the Haitian authorities more time to produce the details tying the money to corruption and crime during the Duvalier dictatorship. As you know, Haitians have only recently elected a democratic government, and it is faced with many pressing problems. It needs more time and assistance to produce the necessary documentation.

For over 20 years Switzerland has provided a safe haven for these funds to the detriment of ordinary citizens in Haiti. The money in the frozen accounts should not be released to the former dictator Duvalier, but instead should be returned to Haiti to be spent on crucial humanitarian and social projects. Haiti’s socio-economic situation is extremely grave, with 78% of Haitians living on less than US$2 a day.

We await your response to this very serious matter.

Yours sincerely,

Charles Arthur
Director, the Haiti Support Group

cc La Commission des Affaires Extérieures du Parlement Suisse

The Haiti Support Group is a British organisation working in solidarity with the Haitian people's struggle for human rights, participatory democracy and equitable development, since 1992.

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