Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) member Smith Augustin, targeted by several reports from the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) for alleged abuse of power and bribery in the National Credit Bank (BNC) affair, is increasing his international presence, causing growing unease in diplomatic circles. To date, Haiti remains the only Caribbean state represented abroad by a leader formally implicated in active corruption.
Between April and May 2025, Augustin traveled to Washington to seek increased support from the Organization of American States (OAS). Received by Secretary General Luis Almagro, he advocated for "greater regional cooperation" in support of deploying a multinational security mission in Haiti. Despite encouraging remarks, no promises of funding or concrete action plan emerged from these meetings. In the American capital, several observers from the diaspora described this initiative as "sham diplomacy," more focused on increasing the visibility of the transitional regime than on achieving real progress.
On May 22, Augustin also presided over the opening of a symposium organized by the OAS on the Haitian security crisis. The conclusions were deemed inconclusive: lack of a roadmap, vague commitments, and complete silence on the Presidential Council's responsibility for human rights violations attributed to armed groups close to the government.
On November 4, a press release from the Presidency announced his discreet departure to participate in two international events: the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, and the 4th CELAC-EU Summit dedicated to "Resilience and Cooperation." The text mentioned six priorities—energy transition, ecosystem protection, agricultural transformation, urban resilience, human development, and financing for innovation. However, Haiti's exact role, the commitments made, and the planned follow-up, remain undefined.
This tour is more symbolic than strategic. In a country where budgetary transparency and public accountability are constantly called into question, these missions read as shallow diplomatic exercises. Financed by the public treasury, several analysts believe these trips have further weakened the CPT's credibility.
The accusations against Augustin have permanently tarnished Haiti's international image. No public report has specified the cost of these trips, nor their actual impact on the country's foreign relations. Transparency International still ranks Haiti among the ten most corrupt nations in the world, revealing the contrast between the rhetoric of state restoration and the political practices of its representatives.
Under the guise of restoring the nation's image, Smith Augustin travels on behalf of a fractured state, in a setting where diplomacy serves as a diversion. His stopovers, lacking results, become a mirror of a directionless transition, of a Republic seeking abroad the legitimacy it no longer claims at home.
Posted Nov. 17, 2025