Donations to Haiti were misused, says the country's president.
Michel Martelly, who took office in May, is suspected of misappropriating donated funds or investing them in "things that were not necessary."
Brazilian News Agency - Haitian President Michel Martelly said that part of the US$4 billion donated by the international community to his country was misused. According to him, there is a lack of "spending control" in the country. Haiti received funds from governments, public institutions and private organizations, as well as international bodies, for reconstruction after being devastated by the earthquake of January 12, 2010.
During his visit to Spain, Martelly also stressed that he is not responsible for the misuse of resources, but that it is essential to change conduct in Haiti. "It is imperative to change the way things are done in Haiti to achieve sustainable, tangible, and permanent results," he said. According to him, it is necessary to "improve transparency" regarding the destination of investments to "promote trust."
Sworn in as president in May, Martelly acknowledged that he is having difficulty monitoring the use of funds donated to Haiti. "Today, one of the things that bothers me is that after the earthquake, US$4 billion was injected, but I have difficulty identifying a single project, anything that has been done with that money," he said.
The president of Haiti suspects the misuse of donated funds. "Perhaps some used [the money] only to buy armored vehicles or other things that were not necessary," said Martelly.
According to Martelly, one of the alternatives to curb misappropriation is the creation of a national fund to allocate resources to social programs – education, health, and infrastructure – as well as incentives for agriculture. The president's challenges in Haiti also include reducing the unemployment rate, controlling the exodus to the slums in the cities, and guaranteeing food security.
*With the multi-state television broadcaster, Telesur, based in Caracas, Venezuela.