Baby Doc Duvalier Charged With Corruption In Haiti

Former Haitian Dictator “Baby Doc” Charged With Corruption

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian prosecutors presented formal charges of corruption and embezzlement against the former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on Tuesday, raising the level of uncertainty surrounding his abrupt emergence from exile this week.

The case, which involves acts that he is accused of committing before fleeing the country nearly 25 years ago, was presented at the end of a dramatic day during which Mr. Duvalier, one of Haiti’s most polarizing figures, was escorted by heavily armed police officers out of his hotel. Clusters of supporters shouted in outrage, calling for “revolution” and threatening to burn the country down.

Mr. Duvalier, 59, wearing a pin-stripe suit and looking fragile, waved back with one hand while he held onto his companion, Véronique Roy, with the other.

As the police convoy made its way downtown, Mr. Duvalier’s supporters cheered from the roadside. Some tried to block the procession by heaving chunks of concrete and garbage containers onto the road. The crowds eventually thinned, and Mr. Duvalier arrived at a courthouse without further incident.

He was released four hours later, but was ordered to remain in Haiti while a judge considered whether there was sufficient evidence to send Mr. Duvalier to trial.