President De La Espriella orders legal aid for soldiers detained in US

President Abelardo De La Espriella ordered the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice to provide legal assistance and financial support to the families of Colombian military members for their alleged involvement in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, eltiempo.com reported.

Transfer of 18 Detainees to Florida

Eighteen individuals detained in Haiti were transferred to the United States to face justice in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. This jurisdiction previously reconstructed the financing, logistics, and recruitment of the former Colombian soldiers who took part in the July 7, 2021 magnocide. The transfer occurred after the Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Haiti authorized the delivery of detained suspects on September 20. Official reports listed the transfer of 18 detainees to United States territory.

Government Directives on Defense and Support

President De La Espriella announced the legal assistance directive through his personal account on X, instructing Defense Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora and Justice Minister Iván Cancino to act, as detailed by presidencia.gov.co. I have instructed the Ministers of Defense and Justice to provide legal assistance to the military personnel detained in the United States for their alleged involvement in the assassination of the President of Haiti, as well as financial support to their families. the president stated. He added that individual responsibility must be established clearly without punishing the innocent. The innocent shouldn’t pay for the guilty. I want to know exactly what happened and for everyone’s individual responsibility to be clarified. he noted.

Velásquez Finds Detainees in Precarious Conditions

When Velásquez took office as consul, she found the detainees in very precarious conditions.

Ongoing United States Legal Proceedings

The arrival of the detained men in Florida coincides with existing judicial actions in the federal court. In May, a federal jury in Miami declared Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages guilty of participating in the conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of President Moïse, according to eltiempo.com. The newly transferred Colombian defendants now face the same judicial apparatus in the Southern District of Florida as the conspiracy’s previously convicted planners and financiers.