Haiti pop star defends alleged plotter linked to retired Dominican colonel

Santo Domingo.- Haitian singer Wyclef Jean on Tuesday defended the businessman Edouard Pierre Kanzki, linked to retired Dominican coronel Pedro Julio Goico (Pepe) in an alleged plot to destabilize Haiti’s government.

Jean, who sought his country’s top office in 2011, said Kanzki is president Michel Martelly’s close friend who endorsed his campaign, and is an honest, hard working person who’d never commit an illegal act. The pop star issued a statement to Haiti’s media on Tuesday.

Two weeks ago the Dominican and Haiti governments revealed the alleged plot in which Goico and Kanzki sought to destabilize Haiti’s government.

In the taped phone conversation Goico is heard telling Kanzki to start a smear campaign based on the alleged money Dominican ruling PLD party senator Felix Bautista gave to Martelly to reach the presidency.

Goico, a close collaborator of opposition PRD party presidential candidate Hipólito Mejía has denied the allegation, and was interrogated Monday by National District prosecutor Yenni Berenice Reynoso.