Fake passport probe widens with new arrests in Haiti

Port-au-Prince: new arrests in expanding passport scandal

Port-au-Prince, March 26, 2026. The investigation into Haiti’s so-called “real-fake” passport scandal has taken a new turn with the arrest of two immigration office officials suspected of involvement in producing fraudulent travel documents.

According to sources close to the case, the suspects — identified as Paul André and Abigaëlle — were apprehended on Wednesday by agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).

They were assigned to immigration offices in Canapé-Vert and Delmas 31, respectively.

Suspected role in fraudulent document production

Authorities believe the two individuals played a role in the production of passports containing serious irregularities, as part of a broader network under investigation.

Their arrests come just days after a major police operation carried out within the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) by the Haitian National Police (PNH).

Follow-up to major crackdown within immigration services

In a statement, the police communications department (DICOP) confirmed that ten senior officials, including Director General Jean Antoine Simon Fénelon, had been arrested during that earlier operation.

The intervention, conducted on March 23 under orders from the Port-au-Prince prosecutor’s office, involved several specialized DCPJ units, including:

• the Brigade for Research and Intervention (BRI)
• the Vehicle Theft Unit (BLVV)
• the Criminal Affairs Bureau (BAC)

Operations took place inside DIE headquarters, where a justice of the peace ordered the passport production office sealed as part of the investigation.

Suspects to face questioning as probe continues

The newly arrested individuals are expected to be questioned at the Port-au-Prince prosecutor’s office as authorities continue to unravel the case.

Officials indicate that those targeted held strategic positions, including coordination roles, within the institution.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek to determine the full scope of the alleged fraud network.

Ronald André.