The former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly
Aimed at by American sanctions for suspected drug trafficking and money laundering, former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly will have to leave the United States no later than February 19, 2026. The information was confirmed by Pierre Espérance, Executive Director of the RNDDH, to the independent media Rezo Nòdwes, while lawyers of the former head of state are trying to get a postponement of this deadline.
According to Pierre Espérance, Executive Director of the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), Michel Joseph Martelly, the central figure of the political current Tèt Kale, now faces a clear administrative constraint: his departure from American territory before February 19, 2026. According to information published by Rezo Nòdwes, his legal advice would seek to suspend or delay this measure, fearing that a return to Haiti would jeopardize any possibility of future readmission to the United States for the former President, who had himself qualified in the past as a « bandi legal ».
The US sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department in August 2024 accused Mr. Martelly of using his political influence to facilitate drug trafficking networks, including cocaine, to the US market, as well as money laundering operations. These measures are part of the United States targeted sanctions against individuals suspected of involvement in transnational crime. At the same time, a ULCC report published in December 2025 referred to irregularities in the statements of assets of the former Head of State, referring to undeclared assets and financial inconsistencies.
In addition, a report of the United Nations Panel of Experts published in October 2023 mentions alleged interactions between Haitian political actors and armed groups, without any international judicial proceedings being initiated at this stage. The dossier Martelly is part of a broader context: its former political ally and former Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe, has also been struck since 2023 by a ban on entering the United States for accusations of financial malfeasance linked in particular to the PetroCaribe programme.
W.A.
