The director of the Social Assistance Fund is prohibited from leaving Haiti

Havana, April 14 (RHC) - The director of the Social Assistance Fund (CAS), Edwine Tonton, is prohibited from leaving Haiti, after suspicions of check embezzlement within the institution.

Judge Wilner Morin, who is investigating the case, issued a correspondence to the Immigration and Emigration Directorate, in which he requested that measure be adopted for the purposes of justice.

Pierre Richard Valès, the entity's main accountant, as well as Yvrose Alcide, member of the director's cabinet, are also affected by the magistrate's ordinance that directs the investigation of embezzlement of public assets, illegal taking of interests, complicity in forgery and influence peddling.

In March, the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) issued a report, in which it denounced that employees of the institution often received batches of checks instead of the actual beneficiaries.

The entity revealed that CAS funds were diverted through two fictitious organizations called Integration of Disadvantaged Youth for a New Haiti (Ijdhna) and Organization of Youth for the Improvement of Entrepreneurship in Haiti (Ojreh).

“For the two projects presented by these organizations, CAS had granted Ijdhna and Ojreh in April 2022, a subsidy of one million gourdes (almost six thousand 500 dollars) at a rate of 500 thousand gourdes (about three thousand dollars) per organization” , assured the ULCC report.

He added that in August the two entities benefited again from the subsidy, despite the fact that they only exist on paper.

Valès also teamed up with Jerry Saintama, Ijdhna's alleged treasurer, to embezzle a 100,000 gourdes (about 650 dollars) grant for the Ochan Haiti platform and falsify their registration certificates, as well as listing family members among the grant recipients.

For his part, Alcide abused his influence to obtain a subsidy for 500,000 gourdes (about three thousand dollars) in January 2022 for the benefit of his organization called AFPD/PV, which was approved by the director of CAS, Edwine Tonton.

The Anti-Corruption Unit denounced that in the Social Assistance Fund there is a "veritable laboratory for the production of false documents", which together with the cases of corruption reflect the failures of the administrative structure, the inertia and carelessness of those responsible who did not take the necessary measures to rectify the situation. (Source: Prensa Latina)