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Authors: Glenn Shepard
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been transferred from the account since he’d checked it that morning. A total of three billion dollars was gone, the entirety of the Haitian Relief Fund. He looked for a deposit of the half-billion dollars that Charles Roche had promised. But there was no record of any deposit by Roche.
His cell phone buzzed, startling him. He didn’t know the number on the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Tomas. It’s me.”
“Dad! Are you all right? Where are you? Where have you been? What’s going on with the Haiti Relief—”
“I was kidnapped and just escaped,” Julien interrupted. “I’m okay. But I need you to pick me up. Now. Before they find me. I’m on Rue Lamarne, just behind the National Assembly.”
Tomas ran to his Lexus and drove the four blocks to the designated location. Upon seeing his father, tears filled his eyes. He pulled over, and his father quickly got into the Lexus. They embraced, both men crying. As they raced back to the Finance Ministry building, they filled each other in on the events of the past few days.
Immediately upon entering his office, Julien picked up the phone. “I’d better inform the president before all our money is taken.”
“Dad, you’d better look at this first,” Tomas said as he turned the computer monitor toward his father.
“Oh my God. It’s all gone.’’
Julien dialed the office of President Longpre and spoke directly to the nation’s leader.
After listening to the long story, the President spoke. “Stay right where you are. The police chief is on his way over.”
Ministry of Finance
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2:00 p.m.
Julien and Tomas Duran were surprised to see President Longpre accompanying Chief Javier Conrad and four officers. The visitors frowned as they took their seats in the conference room. Longpre nodded to the police chief.
Conrad spoke: “Mr. Duran, I have bad news for you. I’ve searched all the hospitals and clinics in the area, and your man, Jakjak, has not been treated in any of them. The mortuaries also have no record of him. If he, indeed, had the serious gunshot wounds you described, he would have been at one or the other.
“Further, my men have probed deeply into the recesses under the National Palace and found no evidence that anybody has been incarcerated there for the past twenty years.
“Finally, regarding the money you reported missing from Haiti’s National Treasury, we checked that, too. It’s all there, in the treasury, the same amount as before you said this Charles Roche and his allies visited you on Monday.”
“But I just saw the Relief Aid Fund. It was almost all gone,” Julien said.
Tomas leaned forward in his chair and spoke rapidly in a high-pitched voice. “One billion went missing on Monday, another billion yesterday, and another billion overnight. Three billion dollars are gone, gentlemen, leaving only a half billion in the fund. And it all went to Disaster Inc., a fund our government ministers cannot track.”
“Show them the books,” Julien instructed his son.
Tomas’ pulled up the account on the computer. “See?”
The police chief pointed to the screen. “As I said, the money is all there. And there is no record of any money being withdrawn for months.”
Tomas’ eyes opened wide as he looked at the figures on the screen. They had all been changed!
“Except for this,” the President interjected as he handed a print-out to Minister Duran.
Julien’s face clouded with confusion as he looked at the paper. “This shows that $150,000 was transferred from the relief fund to my personal account.” He looked at President Longpre. “Who authorized this?”
The police chief removed another paper from his jacket pocket. “According to the signature on this, you did.”
Duran took the document. He had, indeed, signed it, with the scrawling pen of his non-dominant right hand. His voice trembled. “But I’d never take money from my government. You know that’s true.”
The President shook
His cell phone buzzed, startling him. He didn’t know the number on the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Tomas. It’s me.”
“Dad! Are you all right? Where are you? Where have you been? What’s going on with the Haiti Relief—”
“I was kidnapped and just escaped,” Julien interrupted. “I’m okay. But I need you to pick me up. Now. Before they find me. I’m on Rue Lamarne, just behind the National Assembly.”
Tomas ran to his Lexus and drove the four blocks to the designated location. Upon seeing his father, tears filled his eyes. He pulled over, and his father quickly got into the Lexus. They embraced, both men crying. As they raced back to the Finance Ministry building, they filled each other in on the events of the past few days.
Immediately upon entering his office, Julien picked up the phone. “I’d better inform the president before all our money is taken.”
“Dad, you’d better look at this first,” Tomas said as he turned the computer monitor toward his father.
“Oh my God. It’s all gone.’’
Julien dialed the office of President Longpre and spoke directly to the nation’s leader.
After listening to the long story, the President spoke. “Stay right where you are. The police chief is on his way over.”
Ministry of Finance
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
2:00 p.m.
Julien and Tomas Duran were surprised to see President Longpre accompanying Chief Javier Conrad and four officers. The visitors frowned as they took their seats in the conference room. Longpre nodded to the police chief.
Conrad spoke: “Mr. Duran, I have bad news for you. I’ve searched all the hospitals and clinics in the area, and your man, Jakjak, has not been treated in any of them. The mortuaries also have no record of him. If he, indeed, had the serious gunshot wounds you described, he would have been at one or the other.
“Further, my men have probed deeply into the recesses under the National Palace and found no evidence that anybody has been incarcerated there for the past twenty years.
“Finally, regarding the money you reported missing from Haiti’s National Treasury, we checked that, too. It’s all there, in the treasury, the same amount as before you said this Charles Roche and his allies visited you on Monday.”
“But I just saw the Relief Aid Fund. It was almost all gone,” Julien said.
Tomas leaned forward in his chair and spoke rapidly in a high-pitched voice. “One billion went missing on Monday, another billion yesterday, and another billion overnight. Three billion dollars are gone, gentlemen, leaving only a half billion in the fund. And it all went to Disaster Inc., a fund our government ministers cannot track.”
“Show them the books,” Julien instructed his son.
Tomas’ pulled up the account on the computer. “See?”
The police chief pointed to the screen. “As I said, the money is all there. And there is no record of any money being withdrawn for months.”
Tomas’ eyes opened wide as he looked at the figures on the screen. They had all been changed!
“Except for this,” the President interjected as he handed a print-out to Minister Duran.
Julien’s face clouded with confusion as he looked at the paper. “This shows that $150,000 was transferred from the relief fund to my personal account.” He looked at President Longpre. “Who authorized this?”
The police chief removed another paper from his jacket pocket. “According to the signature on this, you did.”
Duran took the document. He had, indeed, signed it, with the scrawling pen of his non-dominant right hand. His voice trembled. “But I’d never take money from my government. You know that’s true.”
The President shook
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