MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida-based doctor accused of playing a central role in plotting the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is on track to stand trial after having his request for more time to build his defense denied by a judge.
Just days before his long-awaited trial is set to begin, Christian Emmanuel Sanon was back in federal court on Thursday to ask for more time.
Sanon is accused of conspiring to overthrow the Haitian government, which started with the assassination of the country’s president back in 2021.
Prosecutors call Sanon a key figure in the coup plot. They say Sanon was expected to replace Moïse after the planned attacks.
“Where is the leadership of Haiti?” Sanon had said in the past. “Nowhere to be found. You know why? Because they’re corrupt.”
According to the prosecution, Sanon funneled millions of dollars in Covid relief funds awarded to businesses based in Florida to finance the assassination at Moïse’s Port-au-Prince home.
Sanon is one of 30 co-conspirators named in the newly unsealed indictment.
Before his trial could begin on Monday, Sanon’s attorneys made a last ditch effort to delay it, telling the judge they needed more time to prepare his defense due to expanded evidence included in that indictment.
The judge denied that motion on Thursday, paving the way for the high-stakes trial to begin as scheduled.
A number of others named in that unsealed indictment were flown from Haiti to Miami International Airport last week.
Video showed 18 of those 30 defendants in shackles, flanked by Department of Homeland Security agents as they were transferred to U.S. custody.
The group — comprised of 17 Colombian mercenaries and one former Haitian government official — now awaits their next court appearances after an initial hearing on Monday.
Sanon’s trial will begin with the jury selection process on Monday. Opening arguments are expected to begin Tuesday.
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