A former director of Haiti’s customs administration and an “immediate” family member are being sanctioned by the U.S. State Department along with relatives of a current member of the Haitian Senate.
The State Department announced Friday that the former director of Haiti’s customs administration, Romel Bell, and “one immediate family member” are being designated because of Bell’s abuse of his public position “by participating in corrupt activity that undermined the integrity of Haiti’s government.”
Also designated are Sen. Rony Célestin, for the same reasons, and four immediate relatives of his. Last week, the Treasury Department imposed financial sanctions on Célestin, accusing him of abusing his power as a politician to further drug trafficking activities across the region. The U.S. sanctions came after the Canadian government had done the same.
