The former director shares his account with AyiboPost
The government of Alix Didier Fils-Aimé appointed Goethie Varnelle Morency, director general of the Inspectorate General of Finance, to lead Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) on Friday, July 3, ending the tenure of Hans Ludwig Joseph, who had headed the institution since 2020.
Reached by AyiboPost on Thursday, Hans Ludwig Joseph said he learned of his dismissal through an unofficial source.
In an exclusive interview with AyiboPost, he said the decision came after he delivered a closed-door briefing to the United Nations Security Council during which he criticized the government’s decree establishing the organization and operating framework of the High Court of Justice.
Adopted by the Council of Ministers and published in December 2025, the decree weakens accountability mechanisms, shields senior government officials implicated in corruption cases, and limits the operational capacity of both the ULCC and the Central Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF), according to several experts and human rights organizations.
According to Hans Ludwig Joseph, the episode reflects a relationship between the Prime Minister’s Office and the ULCC that never truly developed after Alix Didier Fils-Aimé took office in November 2024.
He said no working meetings were ever held with the Prime Minister’s Office. Their interactions, he said, were limited to administrative formalities, including requests for authorization to travel abroad. The government never articulated a clear anti-corruption policy.
The former director sees this as a break from the practices of previous administrations, which regularly met with the agency to discuss its mission, strategic planning, and corruption prevention policies.
The shift in the relationship between the government and the ULCC comes amid broader differences among Haiti’s key international partners over anti-corruption efforts.
Last April, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Henry Wooster told AyiboPost that it was necessary to « stop demonizing » Haiti’s private sector in response to a question about a meeting between the U.S. Embassy and businessman Reynold Deeb, who has been sanctioned by Canada for corruption and ties to armed gangs.
That position contrasts with Canada’s, which continues to support the ULCC and efforts to strengthen its institutional capacity.
At the time of the leadership change, the ULCC was conducting several highly sensitive investigations, some involving individuals close to those in power. It remains unclear whether those cases will continue under the agency’s new leadership.
In 2025, the ULCC referred several investigative reports to the courts, including one involving Minister of Youth and Sports Niola Lynn Sarah Dévalis Octavius over the alleged embezzlement of approximately 10 million gourdes, and another involving former National Television of Haiti director Gamall Augustin, who was suspected of corruption and taken into custody after being questioned by the ULCC in September of that year.
In December 2025, the agency also implicated former President Michel Joseph Martelly — who has been sanctioned by the United States for drug trafficking — in a false asset declaration case.
Other reports issued previously implicated members of the Transitional Presidential Council, former lawmakers, and former cabinet ministers.
According to a senior official at an international organization, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, the investigations targeting senior government officials and influential figures in the private sector also weakened Hans Ludwig Joseph’s position.
Two sources familiar with the ULCC’s operations praised Hans Ludwig Joseph’s leadership since his appointment in July 2020 and said his dismissal sends the message that fighting corruption is no longer a priority for the current government.
His departure « is a major setback, » the senior international official told AyiboPost.
« This decision raises serious questions about the current administration’s genuine commitment to continuing the fight against corruption, » the official added.
The episode also reflects the ULCC’s broader record since its creation: a large number of investigations, but very few cases resulting in convictions.
Out of more than one hundred investigative reports produced over the years, only two have led to convictions.
Despite that record, Édouard Paultre of the anti-corruption coalition Ensemble contre la corruption (ECC) said the ULCC has, in recent years, become « an institution respected both by Haitian civil society and internationally. »
« Under [Joseph’s] leadership, the ULCC developed genuine expertise in investigating the various categories of public spending authorities, » Paultre told AyiboPost. By dismissing him, Paultre said, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé’s government has « chosen the side of those who refuse to be accountable to the Haitian people. »
The now former director, for his part, defended his record at the helm of the institution.
He pointed in particular to the 68 investigative reports produced during his tenure, targeting figures in both political and business circles, as well as efforts to strengthen the public officials’ asset declaration system.
According to Joseph, the number of asset declarations increased by 535% during his tenure, with more than one hundred public officials complying with the legal requirement.
Other initiatives launched under his leadership included anti-corruption training programs for students and public officials, the public speaking competition « My Ideas Against Corruption in 180 Seconds, » as well as the « Art Against Corruption » competition, launched in 2025.
While he said he never had an open conflict with government authorities, Hans Ludwig Joseph acknowledged that some of the ULCC’s initiatives may have unsettled powerful interests.
« Behind every investigation lie political, economic, and security stakes, » he said.
Beyond his relationship with successive governments, Joseph noted that his tenure unfolded in a context where anti-corruption efforts faced major structural obstacles, particularly the slow pace of Haiti’s justice system.
« The justice system needs to be strengthened as a whole. When you examine the reports issued by the country’s oversight institutions, it is clear that there is a systemic problem, » he said.
Despite those constraints, Hans Ludwig Joseph said he fundamentally transformed the ULCC.
He attributed those results to the gradual strengthening of the institution’s internal capacity, particularly through the recruitment and training of new investigators.
In his view, he carried out his mandate in an especially hostile environment.
« We tried to impose integrity and accountability in a broken system — one deeply corrupted both politically and economically, » he told AyiboPost.
During his tenure, he said he was repeatedly subjected to pressure and intimidation, at times directed at members of his family.
The former director also recalled an incident two years ago in which an envelope containing a bullet was left in his office in Delmas, a gesture widely interpreted as a death threat.
Despite his departure, Hans Ludwig Joseph said he hopes the ULCC’s work will continue. He told AyiboPost that several major investigations remain underway, including cases involving public social institutions and private importers.
The government has offered no explanation for his dismissal or outlined the broad direction of any anti-corruption strategy. Nor has it provided the Haitian public with documented explanations regarding several major decisions taken in recent months, including the signing of significant government contracts and the purchase of buildings benefiting private-sector actors.
By : Widlore Mérancourt & Wethzer Piercin
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