Delmas, 26 September 2025.- As part of an investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), the former Director General of National Television of Haiti (TNH), Gamall Jules Augustin, admitted to the commission of inquiry, on August 28, 2025, having authorized the connection of several private media on the site of Boutilliers. He acknowledged the presence of the stations Vlaw FM, Banbòch TV, Radio Télé Monopole, Zoom FM and Kingdom FM, according to the final investigation report of the ULCC transmitted to the courts and presented to the Press on Friday, 26 September 2025, at the premises of the institution, in Delmas 83.
The investigation, triggered after a citizen petition, accuses Augustine of abuse of office, corruption, embezzlement of public funds and illegal media connection. According to the ULCC report, more than 5 million gourdes have been diverted over a short period of time, in addition to abuse of TNH resources. Former administrator Halem Michel is also targeted for complicity.
The president of the TNH restructuring commission, Sandra Duvivier, had already confirmed, at its hearing on 29 July 2025, the existence of privately owned media materials on the Boutilliers website. She had requested the intervention of the justice of the peace of Pétion-Ville to formalize the finding, and had communicated to the commission her request and the record of finding.
At his hearing, Augustine sought to justify his gesture by referring to a request for « the owner of Radio Télé Monopole, Rosemila Petit-Frère » for expertise. He said that an engineer named Fritz Joachim was involved in the project and that he had participated in a meeting with these protagonists to set up studios.
The arrest of the former Director General of the TNH, Gamall Jules Augustin, by the ULCC raises a serious controversy. His lawyer, Mario Delcy, denounces an illegal arrest, arguing that the ULCC does not have jurisdiction to deprive a citizen of his freedom. He appealed to Judge Bernard Saint-Vil through a habeas corpus appeal. Judge Bernard Saint-Vil forwarded the case to the investigating firm, entrusting the case to the investigating judge Étienne Mercier.
Finally, the ULCC recommends that the case be referred to the court, while suggesting profound reforms to ensure transparency and legality in the management of the TNH.
W.E.
