Authorities in Haiti have detained the director of the Direction de l’Immigration et de l’Émigration (DIE), Antoine Jean Simon Fénélon, along with nine other senior officials, during an operation carried out on March 23 by the Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (DCPJ).
The arrests were confirmed by Jean Fritz Patterson Dorval, government commissioner at the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance, who stated that the individuals are currently being questioned by investigators. He noted that law enforcement has been authorized to gather key information before submitting a formal report to prosecutors.
According to authorities, the investigation focuses on a suspected network involved in issuing fraudulent “genuine-fake” Haitian passports, particularly to foreign nationals. Early findings suggest irregularities in documentation, including mismatched taxpayer identification numbers (NIF) linked to certain passport applications.
The case was reportedly triggered by the Ministry of the Interior of Haiti, which alerted judicial authorities and helped initiate an undercover operation. As part of the sting, an individual was allegedly instructed and funded to apply for a passport using only a photograph, deliberately bypassing standard requirements in order to expose potential fraud.
The operation was conducted under orders from the Port-au-Prince prosecutor’s office, with multiple specialized police units involved, including the Brigade of Research and Intervention, the Vehicle Theft Unit, and the Criminal Affairs Bureau.
Following their arrest, the suspects were taken to the prosecutor’s office for initial questioning before being transferred to the DCPJ, which is now leading the ongoing investigation.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the full details of the charges, but confirmed that a justice of the peace has sealed the passport production office as part of the inquiry.
