Port-Au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Though he faces charges of financial wrongdoing and possibly human rights abuses, former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier has no plans to leave his homeland, one of his lawyers said today.
Attorney Reynold Georges said that Duvalier would fight any charges against him and could very well get back into politics.
“You can bet your life on it,” Georges said, referring to Duvalier’s intention to remain in Haiti. He adding that Duvalier is looking to refurbish one of his old homes
Heavily armed police escorted Duvalier on Tuesday from the suburban Karibe Hotel to a downtown court, where he was questioned for hours. The strongman is facing charges related to the embezzlement of Haitian money for personal gain during his 15-year rule, a government source said.
A judge has 30 days to investigate and decide whether the accusations merit moving forward with a case against Duvalier.
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But Georges said no firm evidence was presented in court. “Blah, blah, blah,” George said of the accusations.
“We have nothing to hide and we are not afraid of nobody, nothing,” he said, adding that the judge asked Duvalier when he was planning to leave. “If he wants to live in this country, that’s his right,” Georges said. “He is back to stay. He can do politics. He can come and go, do whatever he pleases as long as it is legal.”
The Duvalier family ruled Haiti for three decades starting in 1957, when Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier was elected president. He later declared himself president for life. When he died in 1971, he was succeeded by his 19-year-old son, who went by the nickname of Baby Doc.
Ousted from power after a popular rebellion in 1986, Baby Doc shocked the world by returning to Haiti on Sunday night after some 25 years of exile in France.
Human rights groups have demanded justice for a rule of brutality. During his years in power, thousands were tortured and killed and hundreds of thousands of Haitians fled into exile, according to Human Rights Watch.
The United Nations said Tuesday that Duvalier’s presence in Haiti had taken the global body by surprise and it “clearly raises issues of impunity and accountability.” Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said a range of human rights abuses and corruption issues surround Duvalier.