A three-member commission has been officially installed at the head of the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE), following a scandal involving the issuance of “real-fake” passports to foreigners. In the case, the former director of the institution, Antoine Jean Simon Fénélon, along with nine other officials, were arrested and later released. The Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT), without specifying the duration of the commissioners’ mandate, informed the Centers for Reception and Delivery of Identity Documents (CRLDI) in a note dated Wednesday, April 15, 2026, signed by Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé.
“The commission installed at the head of the DIE on April 6, 2026, is composed of Fednel Zidor, coordinator, James-Stanley Pierre, and Jacques Edouard Dessejour Lapierre, members,” the MICT stated.
This triumvirate has a dual mission: to ensure the immediate operational continuity of the DIE and to undertake a broader process of institutional restructuring. “The MICT informs the CRLDI that, following the decision of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé dated March 30, 2026, a commission was formed to take charge of and restructure the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration,” the note states.
The establishment of this commission follows the preceding scandal. The director of the DIE, Antoine Jean Simon Fénélon, and nine other officials were arrested on Monday, March 23, during an operation conducted by agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).
The Ministry of the Interior reportedly played a key role in triggering the case by alerting judicial authorities and setting up an infiltration operation to catch the alleged fraudsters.
As part of this strategy, an individual was reportedly tasked and funded to apply for a passport using only a photograph. This deliberately irregular process aimed to test the system and expose those involved.
Initial checks revealed that the tax identification numbers (NIF) linked to some of these passports did not match the actual applicants, reinforcing suspicions of fraud.
A few days later, on Friday, March 27, 2026, Antoine Jean Simon Fénélon and the nine other officials were released following questioning at the Port-au-Prince prosecutor’s office.
The chief prosecutor of Port-au-Prince, Me Jean Fritz Patterson Dorval, confirmed the release of the ten individuals while announcing that a travel ban had been imposed on them.
