The doctor accused of the plot to assassinate the president of Haiti planned his foray into national politics, says a source

Duque: Some Colombian suspects knew of the assassination 2:58

(CNN) -

Christian Sanon, the Haitian-American doctor accused by authorities of the plot to assassinate Haiti's president, spent months planning a foray into national politics in the country, holding weekly Zoom meetings through earlier this year with academics and business leaders, and at one point met with the man who allegedly supplied the mercenaries behind the murder, according to a person at the meeting.

The political effort never included a plan for a violent overthrow, the people involved said.

Two men who attended meetings with Sanon called him a thoughtful politician with a genuine interest in improving the country.

And a letter sent to a senior US State Department official in late May described a serious project that had the support of Haitian leaders who "represent approximately 80% of the population."

Who is Sanon, arrested for the murder of Moïse?

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But according to authorities in Colombia and Haiti, Sanon had a secret plan B.

Haitian police allege that Sanon recruited the more than two dozen men who broke into the residence of Jovenel Moïse, the assassinated president, in an attempt to seize power.

Sanon met with two Colombian commandos leading the operation in May, the Colombian police chief said Thursday, and the group's original plan was to detain the president and hand him over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

• Duque says some Colombian suspects knew the mission was to kill the president of Haiti

Sanon was arrested over the weekend in Haiti in a house raid where, according to a source close to the investigation who is not authorized to discuss the incident, police recovered boxes of ammunition, 24 unused shooting targets and a cap. labeled "DEA".

Sanon has told police that he had no knowledge of the attack, CNN reported Wednesday.

CNN has been unable to reach Sanon or other people arrested since the murder.

The murder and intrigue surrounding the police investigation reads like a novel compared to the political campaign Sanon led over the table, people who were involved in the political process said.

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Exclusive: this is how they persecuted the alleged murderers of Moïse 3:54

In an interview Wednesday, Parnell Duverger, an economist and former university professor in Florida, said he attended several online meetings beginning in 2020 where Sanon and a group of other experts from Haiti drew up an agenda for a transitional government in which Sanon would be the prime minister.

According to Durverger, Sanon told the group that he had the support of the United States and the international community in his bid for leadership, although he did not provide evidence to back up that claim.

The group was operating on the assumption that Haiti's president would eventually resign as protests in the country escalated, ushering in the interim government, Duverger said.

There was never talk of a coup attempt, he said.

"The Zoom meetings brought together, in my opinion, a variety of specialists and good people who had a lot of knowledge in their field, be it agriculture or education, who have a lot of knowledge, and who actually put together a government agenda that would be quite successful if applied, "Duverger said.

Other sessions were held in person.

A meeting in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which Duverger said he believed took place in early May, was attended by Antonino Intriago and Walter Veintemilla, two men who authorities have said in recent days played a key role in the murder.

Duque: Some Colombian suspects knew of the assassination 2:58

Intriago, a Venezuelan living in South Florida, runs the security company that police say provided the men who carried out the murder.

Sanon had hired CTU, the firm, to recruit the men, authorities said.

CNN has not been able to reach CTU and Intriago.

Veinemilla, according to Florida corporate records, is the president of Worldwide Capital Lending Group, a company that Haitian police said on Wednesday helped "raise money for the men to carry out the acts."

In a statement sent to CNN on Thursday, Worldwide Capital Lending Group denied any involvement in the plot, saying it had been contacted by Sanon, as well as current and former Haitian elected officials, "to help obtain financing for power plants and other infrastructure projects in Haiti ".

• Several linked to the plot to assassinate the president of Haiti had been informants for agencies such as the DEA and the FBI.

"At no time during a meeting or conversation with Dr. Sanon or any of his representatives was there any mention, discussion or suggestion of an assassination plot against President Moïse or the intention to use force to effect a change of leadership in Haiti, "the company said.

"Contrary to certain media reports, no representative from Worldwide Capital Lending Group attended meetings in the Dominican Republic or Haiti at any time," the company added.

Duverger said the meeting in Fort Lauderdale was held to discuss "financing the construction of the infrastructure necessary for Haiti to achieve lasting economic development in 30 years or less."

Ex-soldier from Colombia speaks who was going to travel to Haiti 2:24

The New York Times newspaper was the first to report on the rallies behind Sanon's political campaign.

Earlier this year, Sanon changed his plan, allegedly telling the group that he wanted to become Haiti's president rather than prime minister, according to Duverger.

The plan was detailed in a letter to a senior State Department official in late May.

Signed "People of Haiti," the letter was posted on a now defunct website that advocates for Sanon's leadership in a transitional government and warns of an impending crisis at the hands of Moïse.

"Moïse has shown that he intends to use his power, intimidation and endless brutality on a large scale to expand and extend his control of Haiti by establishing a new 'Constitution' in just a few weeks," the letter says, which was first reported by DailyMail.com.

"We pray that this does not happen, but time is running out; as you know, a 'wick' has been burning since February 7! Something must be done soon."

A spokesman for the State Department referred CNN to the Haitian authorities for comment on the investigation, but added that "they receive a regular flow of correspondence."

"We actively engage with Haitian-American individuals and groups in off-the-record conversations. We also receive a regular flow of correspondence," the spokesman said.

"We have long supported Haitian political leaders and civil society to come together to strengthen democratic institutions and reach an inclusive solution that facilitates peace and stability," they said.

US elements collaborate with investigation in Haiti 2:18

There are indications that the support for Sanon described on the website and in the letter may have been exaggerated.

A United Nations consultant who appears prominently on the website as part of a coalition supporting the doctor's leadership said in an interview that he was unaware of his presence on the site and that he had met with Sanon a time.

Frantz Gilot, the consultant, said he discussed criminal justice issues in Haiti in a January meeting with Sanon and more than 20 people involved in the political effort.

But he said he was "not interested" in the project.

"Someone put my name on this site," he said.

"I am not a sponsor of Mr. Sanon or his team."

An official from the UN mission in Haiti also appears as a supporter of Sanon.

Messages left for the official were not answered.

Duverger said regular Zoom meetings stopped earlier this year.

At the time, Sanon's desire to lead and improve Haiti seemed real, he said.

But with the news of Sanon's murder and arrest, his opinion has changed.

"Right now, I don't believe anything that came out of that man's mouth. I think they were all teasing us," Duverger said.

CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

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