Canada’s ambassador to Haiti said this in a tweet on Sunday, adding that sanctions were being rolled out for their alleged involvement in armed gangs.
The sanctions prohibit the three politicians from doing business in Canada and any assets they hold there will be frozen.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced the sanctions Sunday morning at a conference in Tunisia, but did not name a name at the time.
Earlier, Canada also announced sanctions against three MPs and other former MPs.
Gangs in Haiti have sparked unrest after creating a humanitarian crisis since September by blocking fuel terminals for nearly six weeks, shutting down all economic activity. It also makes authorities fear that other parties may launch attacks to keep the terminal and fuel station open.
Canada, along with the United States and the United Nations, has sanctioned political leaders suspected of funding the gang, which policymakers say is backed by Haitian elites.
Canada has “reason to believe that these individuals are using their status as former or current public office holders to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through money laundering and ‘other acts of corruption’.
The measures, Ottawa said, were aimed at stopping the flow of illicit capital and weapons into Haiti, as well as weakening and neutralizing Haiti’s criminal gangs.
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