Postponement of Penal Codes: When the State Hesitates Before Its Own Reform

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the session was chaired by the President of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), Laurent Saint-Cyr, alongside Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. Through a new decree, authorities decided to delay the application of these legal texts in favor of a “progressive, multi-phase implementation.”

The government justifies this move as necessary to avoid “legal insecurity” and to preserve the Rule of Law. However, many observers are questioning the sudden urgency of this meeting, held remotely in the middle of the holiday season. Some expected the session to address long-awaited leadership changes in public institutions, specifically the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), whose director, Hans Joseph, remains a lightning rod for controversy.

A Recurring Pattern This is not the first delay. On June 24, 2025, under the presidency of Fritz Alphonse Jean, the CPT had already ratified these same codes amid high political tension. At that time, the reform was hailed as a vital step toward modernizing Haiti’s legal framework and fighting impunity.

Six months later, this new postponement serves as a stark reminder of how sensitive judicial reform remains—trapped between legal requirements, institutional constraints, and persistent political fragility. No specific new date has been provided, leaving the future of the Haitian justice system in a state of uncertainty.