Lafontant wrote to the departmental directorate of law enforcement and requested an escort with at least two armored cars to break into the institution, which has been in the hands of armed groups since Friday.

“The visit to the premises will not only allow the recovery of files from the offices of the deputy commissioners, but also to initiate an investigation against the authors of the attack perpetrated against the Palace of Justice,” reads the letter published on social networks.

An armed group violently evicted the judicial authorities and took possession of the premises on Friday at dawn.

Magistrates, lawyers and employees of the Prosecutor’s Office were only able to get out by climbing the walls of the institution and thanks to the urgent intervention of the Police, as per a report by the Je Klere Foundation, a human rights defense organization.

Lafontant assured that he intends to prosecute those responsible and fulfill his obligations, and announced the provisional transfer of some services of the Prosecutor’s Office to the Court of Peace in the south of Port-au-Prince to allow access to justice.

According to the Foundation’s report, at least seven vehicles were seized by the armed groups and one person was injured during the assault.

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