APN Port: CPT’s Fritz Jean Affirms Legality of Contract Signed with CPS

Port-au-Prince, August 5, 2025 – The Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), speaking through Fritz Alphonse Jean, maintains that the contract signed with Caribbean Port Services (CPS) for the management of the National Port Authority (APN) complies with all current legal standards. This statement comes at a time when the agreement was facing sharp criticism even from within the CPT itself.

The CPT reported on August 5 that an official meeting took place on July 28, 2025, with CPS representatives Philippe Coles and Édouard Baussan. The goal was to clarify the terms of the contract binding the company to the Haitian State through the APN.

This meeting, held at the Villa d’Accueil, followed a letter sent on July 9, 2025, by CPT President Fritz Alphonse Jean to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, requesting a detailed report on the CPS file.

According to an official note from the Presidency’s Communication Office dated August 4, 2025, the discussions clarified the legal and contractual aspects of the agreement, particularly clauses regarding leasing rights for state-owned land. The most recent contract renewal, dated December 4, 2023, granted CPS operating rights for a period of 27 years (three nine-year terms).

Authorities emphasized the contract’s legality by citing:

• The April 7, 1978 decree establishing the APN;

• The March 15, 1985 decree reforming the APN’s institutional framework;

• The September 22, 1964 decree governing rents and leases of State property.

The CPT stressed that the privileges granted to CPS are justified by the company’s strategic role in managing national port infrastructure and the scale of investments made, which require a long period for amortization.

While the CPT claims the meeting took place in a climate of transparency, questions remain. If the meeting occurred on July 28, why did the CPT wait a full week—until August 4—to communicate publicly? Why the sudden insistence on legal compliance?

The defensive tone of the press release suggests underlying tensions or misunderstandings behind the scenes between the CPT leadership and the port concession managers. Ultimately, this official statement seems to raise more questions than it answers.