MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Suspect in Haiti president's murder dies presumably of COVID-19

Dragon is believed to have supplied Moïse's killers with DEA-tagged clothing

A former Haitian policeman who had been arrested for his alleged involvement in the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse has died presumably of COVID-19 while in custody, it was reported.

Gilbert Dragon succumbed to what appeared to be COVID-19 on Wednesday at a Port-au-Prince hospital where he was taken after showing breathing difficulties. His death was confirmed by Pierre Rene François, an official from the Penitentiary Administration.

Marie Jude Gilbert Dragon was an ex-police chief and former guerilla commander, who served as police chief for the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets in the early 2000s, during which he became involved with other police chiefs' efforts to overthrow the Haitian government.

During the 2004 coup d'état, Dragon became second-in-command in the National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti under Guy Philippe.

The dragon had been arrested on July 14 in connection with Moïse's murder at the hands of a group of mercenaries who broke into his Port-au-Price residence. The dragon was believed to have supplied clothing with DEA identifications to the perpetrators.

Although some sources did mention COVID-19 as the cause of death, others were more cautious and spoke only of “respiratory difficulties.”

In a related development, Haiti's National Police (PNH) has announced it will send a group of agents to Turkey to extradite businessman Samir Handal who has been arrested Sunday in Istanbul, also in connection with Moïse's murder.

So far, some 44 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination, including 12 police officers.

Among those arrested are 18 Colombians, most of them retired military personnel, and three Haitians with dual US citizenship.