Giving her first interview since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, former first lady Martine Moise recently described the events that took place on July 7th at the couple's private residence.
“The only thing that I saw before they killed him were their boots,” Moïse told the New York Times of the moment President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti was shot dead. “Then I closed my eyes, and I didn’t see anything else.”
Moïse's elbow was shattered by gunfire and she described being unable to breathe with a mouth full of blood as assassins entered her room. She says she listened closely as the attackers ransacked the room, looking through President Moise's documents.
“‘That’s not it. That’s not it,’” she says they repeatedly said in Spanish before finally saying: “‘That’s it.’”
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As they made their exits, she says, one of them stepped on her feet while another directed a flashlight in her eyes to ensure that she was not still alive.
“When they left, they thought I was dead,” she said.
In the interview, Moïse echoes the same suspicions that Haitians have been stating since the day of the assassination, expecting money paid to the troupe of Colombian mercenaries who carried out the plot to lead back to Haiti's wealthy oligarchy.
Per certain theories, names like Reginald Boulos and Dimitri Vorbe have surfaced repeatedly with President Moïse's disruption of their government contracts as a possible motive. While Martine Moïse did not explicitly accuse either man of the assassination, she did mention Boulos' alleged intention to run for president. She also added that Mr. Boulos' bank accounts were frozen before President Moïse's death due to an ongoing investigation, probing whether or not Boulos obtained a preferential loan from the state pension fund. According to her, his bank accounts were immediately released following the assassination.
Since then, Haitian police have made many arrests, including 18 Colombians and several Haitians and Haitian-Americans connected to the plot. Their most recent arrest of Moïse's head of security, however, continues to fan the flame of an inside job.
The surviving Moïse says that none of the 30-50 security guards typically posted at the home were harmed during the assassination.
“I would like people who did this to be caught, otherwise they will kill every single president who takes power,” she added. “They did it once. They will do it again.”
Currently, Moïse is expected to undergo additional surgery for her arm. Reportedly, she may never be able to use her right arm again. All the while, she has already informed the Times that she is considering a run for presidency to continue her husband's work.
“President Jovenel had a vision,” she said, “and we Haitians are not going to let that die.”