Regarding Model FM, Mr. Célestin disclosed that he started it in a tiny village and later relocated it to a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where it is currently airing from. The station has a small, unmarked office in the Petionville district.
During both of The Times’ visits, the station’s offices were closed or staffed by a single person who was unable to provide any details about the station, including advertising charges.
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A Canadian Mansion Becomes a Symbol of Haiti’s Disintegration
Mr. Célestin controlled PetroGaz-Haiti, but according to his own account, he claimed that company appeared to be in violation of the prohibition on receiving financing from the government. The Constitution prohibits politicians from entering into contracts with the government while they are permitted to own enterprises, as Mr. Célestin alleged he did for four years through his company.
The purchase of the Canadian mansion owned by Célestin had angered the country and the Haitian government’s Anti-Corruption Unit opened an investigation into it in February.
It was unclear if the transaction was also being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the nation’s main police force. According to Garry Clement, a former head of a money laundering unit for the R.C.M.P., the purchase should have raised an alarm by Canadian norms.
Mr. Célestin is classified as a “politically exposed person” under Canadian money-laundering laws, which means that banking institutions are required to perform due diligence to determine the source of any transferred funds that exceed $100,000.
As the wife of a “P.E.P.,” Mr. Clement said Mrs. Célestin would likewise be governed by similar laws.
According to Mr. Célestin, the transaction was completely legal. He claimed that he regularly paid $20 to $30 million to Turkey to purchase iron for one of his import companies. He asserted that “if I wasn’t clean, I would have had a lot of trouble with the Miami banks.” “I’d be horrified” if my money turned out to be fake.
Last Words
Mr. Célestin and his Montreal attorney, Alexandre Bergevin, however, declined to provide any additional information or identify the names of their import business or farm.
His wife, who has been working as a counsellor at the Haitian consulate in Montreal since 2019, remained silent when asked for remark. Thanks for reading our article A Canadian Mansion Becomes a Symbol of Haiti’s Disintegration.
