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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Haiti: Duvalier Could Face Justice |
| 2007-09-29 |
| NEW YORK (AP) - Haiti's president said Friday that former dictator Jean-Claude ``Baby Doc'' Duvalier would have to face justice for his regime's corruption and abuses if he returns to the Caribbean country from exile. Duvalier, whose rule came to an abrupt end in February 1986 when he fled during a popular uprising, ended years of silence over the weekend with a Haitian radio address in which he apologized for ``wrongs'' committed under his rule. He did not say whether he would return to Haiti, but his unexpected address came amid a quiet campaign by some of his hardcore supporters to bring him back from in France. President Rene Preval, who earlier this week rejected Duvalier's apology, said he could not prevent the former dictator from returning because Haiti's constitution prohibits the forced exile of any citizen. Asked if Duvalier would be brought to trial, Preval said his ``dictatorship killed thousands of people'' and stole millions of dollars. ``There is also the clamor of the people ... I think justice has to have its say,'' Preval told a news conference in New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 Nobody ever dies in Haiti... So we're talking about a fat, lazy, mooching, French-speaking zombie? |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2007-09-29 20:21 |
| #4 Nobody ever dies in Haiti... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-09-29 19:35 |
| #3 That would be "Papa Doc", Abu Babaloo. It is highly doubtful that "Baby Doc" will ever face any real justice as it necessarily involves methods that would make even a Spanish Inquisitor blanch. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-09-29 18:53 |
| #2 Sheesh, shows how much I know...I thought this schmuck had died ten years ago! |
| Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2007-09-29 18:37 |
| #1 Too bad, so sad... When he fled to France he lived a luxurious life on the Riviera, driving a Ferrari, shopping in designer boutiques and shuttling between his chateau and several apartments. The money appears to have run out several years ago after a costly divorce from Michelle Bennett Pasquet. Duvalier's inability or unwillingness to get a job has forced him to rely on handouts from friends. He reportedly lives in a one-bedroom flat in Paris. Last month Switzerland extended a freeze on a Duvalier-linked bank account containing £3.1m. Here's some job hunting advice for him, "You want pomme frites with that, monsieur?" |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-09-29 10:04 |