Politics
Haiti: Prime Minister Lamothe sues US newspaper for defamation
“The newspaper spread false information about prime minister Lamothe and we are taking legal measures to request that they be retracted or appropriate remedy is given,” said Salim Succar, special adviser to the prime minister.
Haiti-Observateur published articles in August and early September that “began to spread false and defamatory statements” about Lamothe’s and Baker’s roles in Haitel’s sale, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said that the newspaper falsely and maliciously reported that Lamothe and Baker orchestrated Haitel’s sale, and that Lamothe fixed Haitel’s US$25 million sale price and stands to receive the “lion’s share” of the proceeds.
Haiti-Observateur repeated the false and defamatory statements after Lamothe and Baker requested a retraction, according to the lawsuit.
The Haiti-Observateur articles implicate Lamothe and Baker in illegal business practices, racketeering, corruption and conspiracy, which has damaged their reputations in their political and business communities, the lawsuit said.
Lamothe, a former telecommunications executive, took office in May, filling a nearly three-month vacancy after President Michel Martelly’s first prime minister resigned after just four months on the job.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
