They denounce threats for investigating the murder of Moïse 5:15
(CNN Spanish) -
In Miami, one of those accused of the murder of the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, pleaded not guilty this Monday, according to court documents obtained by CNN.
According to the charges read in court, the Colombian Mario Palacios, who was extradited to the United States from Panama in January, is accused of conspiracy to kill or kidnap a person outside the United States, according to the documents.
During the appearance, which lasted two minutes, Palacios' defense requested a jury trial.
In January, the United States Department of Justice made public the criminal complaint against Palacios for which he was later extradited.
Moïse was killed in July 20201 in Port-au-Prince after an armed group broke into his home in the Petion-Ville neighborhood at night and shot him 16 times.
The first lady, Marine Moïse, was injured in the attack but survived.
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Palacios had been arrested in Haiti in October, and upon being deported in Colombia, at the request of the United States, he was detained in Panama during a stopover of the plane that was transporting him.
Palacio gave his agreement to be transferred to the United States.
According to the indictment, Palacios and a group that included some 20 former Colombian military personnel, as well as Haitians with US citizenship, participated in a plot to kidnap or kill the Haitian president.
The indictment also says that although the scheme initially focused on an arrest of the president, it led to a plan to kill him.
Haiti Seeks Extradition of Arrested Colombian Suspect in President Moïse's Assassination
The Colombian government pointed out that most of the former soldiers were misled into believing they were part of a legitimate protection operation, although some of them knew what the real purpose of the trip was.
An investigation published by CNN in February revealed that Haitian authorities had shifted their focus to Prime Minister Ariel Henry's possible connection to the assassination, including plotting to kill him, and then helping to orchestrate the cover-up.
Henry's government has "categorically" denied these claims.
Jovenel Moise
