It used to be a closely guarded secret, but we can now reveal where Canadian officials go to learn about the fundamentals of ethics and governance!1

Who could have ever imagined that good old-fashioned rubbish would eventually earn well-deserved mainstream media respect!2

Emergency humanitarian response

Unlimited use of the Résidence Godbout was offered (at no charge) to senior Red Cross officials by its legitimate Canadian owner on 16 January 2010 — four days after the earthquake. An advance team inspected the property on 21 January 2010 — having obtained written authorization to do so and receiving all appropriate legal documents.

Thus the waiting game began...

With the Haitian government facing an urgent — if not daunting undertaking to provide shelter (building temporary settlements) for 1.2 million homeless victims, Human Rights Watch reported on 19 February 2010: "There is little evidence that meaningful efforts have been made to negotiate the land acquisition and secure proper land titles. It is essential that this be given priority." Appropriations would subsequently (theoretically) "be done in a non-arbitrary and non-discriminatory manner."4

"Land is one of our very scarce resource and an issue that has underlined many political conflicts in Haiti since independence," according to Bernard Fils-Aimé, a businessman, property owner and president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti.5

Attorney Benissoit Jude Detournel explained that Haitian law provides for the government to seize land — if it's in the public interest and owners are fairly compensated: "There has to be a just and equitable indemnity, taking into account the market value of the property." However, after factoring-in "squatters, corrupt notaries and judges" — "multiple individuals can hold title to the same properties."6

Haitian-American realty developer, Reginald Abraham, added that "most land in and around Port-au-Prince is owned by 11 families — generally referred to as the elite' who have business monopolies and control the government through corruption." Traditionally "embedded with the government" — they've forever conveniently used that privilege (some call-it a license) to obstruct rule-of-law — thereby determining "what's going to happen to the land."7

Paul Gargioni (Canadian) enjoyed a right of access' across Résidence Godbout land to reach his house. Haitian-Canadian Mario Hilaire bought the property on 4 March 2006 for $158 000 US (20-year mortgage at 6% interest) — transaction that was finalized in Montréal (Ritz-Carlton Hotel).8

The resulting title and surveyor's report (containing land ownership/right of access) were kept shrouded in secrecy by Mario Hilaire and purposely withheld from Godbout estate representatives.9

Operating out of Montréal under the banner Club Haïti Oasis, Mario Hilaire (who entertained a cozy reasonable accommodation' with gangster Patrick Torres) — then sold (tainted) Haitian lots to (unsuspecting) Canadians — using the unregulated Internet.

Lessons learned

1. Benissoit Jude Detournel's law firm takes few land dispute cases because:
   "You can end up dead."10
2. A whole new meaning for the omnipresent and hazardous third-world notion of: Buyers (donors and sellers) beware'!

Former Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler accused the federal government (Liberals and Conservatives) on 28 March 2010 of holding sway over foreign policy "exclusively for domestic political opportunism" — by pandering to "ethnic votes" and those ever-present "special interests."11

Already the world's largest per capita donor of long-term development assistance to Haiti ($2 million per week), Canada pledged $85 million following the 12 January 2010 tremor, matched another $220 million donated by Canadians — and announced an additional $290 million on 31 March 2010 — a $595 million relief envelope.12

Ottawa was running a $56 billion federal deficit — and Canadian taxpayers had by then provided $2 billion to the impoverished/dilapidated State since 1968 (notwithstanding costly military deployments between 1993-2010).13

Results:

"Haiti's track record is not good: some $6.5 billion in foreign aid has poured into the country since 1990 ($10 billion between 1980-2010), but three in four Haitians lived on less than $2 a day even before the quake, with corruption cited as a leading impediment to development."14

Exhibits

Ministère de la Justice et de la Sécurité Publique (Haïti)

17 août 2006 — Me Fredd Herck Leny, Commissaire du Gouvernement (Tribunal de Première Instance de Port-au-Prince), ordonnait une fouille en règle du domicile Godbout qui était « illégalement occupé » par Patrick Torres — en stipulant « vérifier si ce dernier a en sa possession des armes à feu et dans le cas ou cela se révèle positive procéder à l'arrestation de ce dernier. »

13 août 2007 — Patrick Torres est sommé par Me Jean-Claude Dabrézil, Magistrat et Substitut Commissaire du Gouvernement, à se présenter au Parquet du Tribunal de Port-au-Prince pour « menaces de mort. »

13 août 2007 — Me Jean-Claude Dabrézil requiert au Juge de Paix (commune de Gressier) de se transporter au domicile Godbout pour « intimer l'ordre à tout occupant de faire place nette des lieux. »

27 août 2007 — Patrick Torres comparait devant Me Séraphin Despierre (Juge de Paix de la commune de Gressier) assisté du greffier Ducasse Jean Frantz, prend le ferme engagement (signé) d'évacuer la résidence Godbout le 29 août 2007 et de remettre les clefs au Tribunal.

3 septembre 2007 — Le pistolet militaire du colonel Guy Godbout, Remington Rand, Colt .45 Auto M-1911 A1 (N° de série 2129005), enregistré avec la Gendarmerie Royale du Canada (H-135 181) et récupéré de Patrick Torres par les autorités, est dorénavant en possession du Parquet.

5 août 2008 — Jugement condamnant Patrick Torres à quitter encore une fois la villa (après avoir distribué ses pots-de-vin habituels).

24 septembre 2008 — Le Parquet signe l'ordre d'expulsion (non respecté malgré le délai de contestation écoulé).

Mario Hilaire & Patricia Gargioni Lebrun

15 January 2010 — Facebook listing by Mario Hilaire to promote Club Haïti Oasis in which he specifically mentioned the main (second) front gate — a right of access to his property that was never granted by Résidence Godbout representatives.

16 January 2010 — Advertisement posted by Mario Hilaire on the Québec Web site Annonce Xtra.com. After having ignored a written request dated 19 June 2008 to clarify the Gargioni purchase, he acknowledged Résidence Godbout ownership of all land leading to his house on 15 September 2009 to avoid further scrutiny that would in due course uncover (27 January 2010) an irregular title demonstrating illegal trespassing.

Patricia Gargioni (heiress of her late father Paul) dismissed the issue as insignificant on 16 February 2010 and proposed dealing with it sometime later-on (unspecified)!15

Patrick Lagacé, La Presse, 19 février 2010 : Haïti, malade de ses charades

Patrick Lagacé, La Presse, 12 Janvier 2011 : Se pa fòt mwen

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