Overview:
Haitian police arrested Arnel Bélizaire, a former deputy of Delmas/Tabarre and fugitive, Saturday, March 14, in Pétion-Ville—two days after he appeared at the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to register his “Liberation Platform” political party for the 2026 elections. He had been wanted for about two months for allegedly financing terrorist gang activities and threatening national security.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Arnel Bélizaire, a former Haitian lawmaker and fugitive, was arrested Saturday by agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) in Pétion-Ville, two days after registering his political party for Haiti’s upcoming elections.
Announcing his arrest, police said Bélizaire was wanted on charges related to financing terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy against State security. He was apprehended at the Hotel Oasis’ restaurant in Pétion-Ville, an upscale suburb less than 10 miles from downtown Port-au-Prince.
The arrest comes as Haiti faces its worst security crisis in decades, with armed groups controlling large swathes of the capital and expanding their political influence. Both national and international authorities have increasingly linked some political figures to gang financing and alliances.
Bélizaire submitted documents on March 12 to register his new political party, the “Liberation Platform,” with Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP).
His appearance at the council’s office drew attention because police had issued a wanted notice for him months earlier, yet he had not been arrested.
The CEP registered 110 political parties that day. The council is expected to publish the final list on March 26, according to the electoral calendar.
Haiti’s electoral schedule sets the first round of voting for Aug. 30 and a second round for Dec. 5, 2026.
Bélizaire, who represented the Delmas–Tabarre district after being elected in 2011, previously dismissed the arrest warrant as political intimidation. In February, he said judicial police had never summoned him for questioning before issuing the notice.
Long history of legal troubles, US sanctions
Bélizaire has a long legal record and a checkered past involving multiple prison stints and escapes that date back more than a decade.
He was first arrested and detained in the National Penitentiary on charges including illegal weapons possession and conspiracy in 2004. Bélizaire escaped from prison in 2005 while waiting for trial. He was recaptured the same year before escaping again during another jailbreak at the prison following the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince.
After escaping prison for a second time in January 2010, Bélizaire lived as a free man and even managed to be elected to the Haitian Parliament in a March 2011 runoff election as a member of the Veye Yo—Haitian Creole for ‘watch them’—political party. That year, despite him being a lawmaker, he was arrested because police spotted his name on a list of inmates who escaped prison. But he was released soon after under pressure from his fellow parliamentarians, claiming his immunity.
Since then, Bélizaire has been the subject of national attention, including publicized confrontations with former President Michel Martelly and his violent threats against the late President Jovenel Moïse.
In November 2019, authorities arrested him again on charges of arms trafficking and sedition, offenses that carry a minimum 15-year prison sentence. He was released in 2021 by an investigating judge who dropped the charges against him.
In September 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Bélizaire and former Haitian senator Antonio “Don Kato” Chéramy, accusing them of corruption while holding public office.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, the sanctions make Bélizaire, Chéramy and their immediate family members ineligible to enter the United States.
“Bélizaire and Chéramy abused their positions by interfering in the public processes of the Haitian government,” the embassy said in a statement at the time.
“These corrupt and harmful acts have had serious consequences for U.S. national interests by further destabilizing Haiti’s institutions and processes.”
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