State Department sanctions Laurent Lamothe for corruption

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday that the US had sanctioned former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe for the alleged misuse of tens of millions of dollars.

In a statement, Blinken said the designation for his involvement in significant corruption would render Lamothe, who also served as minister for planning and external cooperation, “generally ineligible for entry into the United States.”

“Specifically, Lamothe misappropriated at least $60 million from the Haitian government’s PetroCaribe infrastructure investment and social welfare fund for private gain.

Through this corrupt act and his direct involvement in the management of the fund, he exploited his role as a public official and contributed to the current instability in Haiti,” Blinken said.