Spokesman: Passport Delays Duvalier's Haiti Exit
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CBS4) — Jean-Claude Duvalier remains in Haiti but a spokesman says the former Haitian dictator intends to leave when he gets a new passport but he cannot be forced to leave his Caribbean homeland against his will.
Yves Germain Joseph says the ex-dictator known as "Baby Doc" had been scheduled to leave Thursday. But Joseph said Duvalier asked the Foreign Ministry to issue him a new passport and that has delayed his departure. He didn't know how long that would take but said Duvalier is in no rush.
He spoke to reporters late Wednesday at the hotel where Duvalier has been staying since his surprise return on Sunday after nearly a quarter century in exile in France. Duvalier was forced into exile in 1986 following a popular uprising to a government widely seen as brutal and corrupt.
He's accused of having pilfered millions of dollars from Haiti's treasury and overseeing the torture and killing of political enemies. A Haitian judge is considering whether there's enough evidence to try "Baby Doc" on corruption and embezzlement charges.
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