Haiti PM fires prosecutor seeking charges against him

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry fired a prosecutor who has been seeking charges against him on Tuesday.

The charges link Henry with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead in July.

Chief Public Prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude said last week that phone records showed Henry had twice communicated with a man believed to be the mastermind behind Moise's killing on the night of the crime.

That suspect - who is a former justice ministry official - is now on the run. And Henry has defended him.

The prosecutor wrote to the judge overseeing the investigation into Moise's killing on Tuesday and asked him to charge Henry as a suspect.

Later in the day, a letter from Henry emerged firing the prosecutor for a "grave administration error" with no further detail.

It remains unclear if that order is valid.

Henry, a neurosurgeon and moderate, was named prime minister by Moise just days before he was assassinated --in an attempt to reduce political tension.

Henry has tried to forge a new consensus between different political factions.

Haiti has seen decades of political instability and natural disasters, and is the poorest economy in the Americas.

Moise’s death led it into deeper political turmoil – and questions around Henry’s possible involvement may overshadow any consensus after the assassination.