The widow of Haiti’s late President Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated in his home in 2021, is one of over 50 individuals indicted by a Haitian judge in connection to his murder.

Martine Moïse, who was shot and injured during the July home invasion, has been named in a 122-page report issued by Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire and is facing charges of complicity and criminal association.

According to the indictment, Haiti’s former secretary general of the National Palace, Lyonel Valbrun, informed officials that Martine Moïse outlined plans to succeed her husband just two days after his assassination, the New York Post reported.

Valbrun said Martine Moïse called and allegedly said: “Jovenel didn’t do anything for us. You have to open the office. The president told Ti Klod [aka ex-prime minister Claude Joseph] to create a council of ministers; he will hold elections in three months so I can become president, now we will have power.”

Valbrun reportedly informed officials that he faced “strong pressure” from Martine Moïse to make the president’s office available for Joseph, as he needed to “organize a council of ministers,” as stated in Judge Voltaire’s indictment.

The former first lady’s account of the night her 53-year-old husband was killed revealed several inconsistencies, including her claim of hiding under their bed when the intruders entered, a detail contradicted by investigators on the scene who deemed it impossible for even a large rat measuring 35 to 45 centimeters to fit under the bed.

Judge Voltaire highlighted that Martine Moïse’s statements regarding the attack were riddled with contradictions, casting doubt on their credibility.

Suspicion also arose when she removed “a bunch of things” from the National Palace late at night, between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., two days before the president’s assassination, as noted by Valbrun.

Nevertheless, the indictment does not present direct evidence implicating Martine Moïse in her husband’s murder or its orchestration.

Ex-Prime Minister Joseph and former Chief of Haiti’s National Police, Léon Charles, both face charges in the indictment, with Charles facing the most severe charges, including murder and attempted murder.

Several of the accused individuals have alleged that Haiti’s current Prime Minister Ariel Henry is manipulating the court as a political tool to prosecute his adversaries.

Written by B.C. Begley