Haitian lawmaker denies links to most wanted criminal

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (CMC):

A Haitian legislator has sought to distance himself from the country’s most wanted gang leader, Arnel Joseph, who was arrested by the National Police while he was seeking medical attention in a hospital last month.

In an August 1 letter addressed to the president of the Senate, Garcia Delva denied reports linking him to several kidnappings by Joseph. He said that Joseph’s arrest is being used by his political opponents to link him “at all costs” to “criminal activities”.

Media reports here said that the police are investigating a kidnapping in which the victim, a neighbour of Delva, was abducted, along with two of his employees, in March, as they drove to the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The reports said that during negotiations to secure the group’s release, the businessman’s wife reached out to Delva for help.

But police say unknown to the woman, Delva had already spoken with the gang leader, first on his cell phone and then seconds later on the kidnap victim’s telephone. The three people were eventually released after a ransom of US$110,500 was paid.