Haitian police arrest ex-lawmaker long accused of arming gangs to influence elections WSOC TV [Video]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — (AP) — Police in Haiti have arrested a former legislator long accused of arming gangs in the country’s central region and previously sanctioned by the U.S. and Canada.

Prophane Victor, an ex-member of Parliament who represented the Petite Riviere community of the Artibonite region, was arrested on Sunday in the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to Haiti’s National Police.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Victor had an attorney.

His arrest marks a rare win for Haitian police in a country where high-ranking politicians accused in killings and gang activity often act with impunity and move about the country freely.

Police said in a statement that a former gang leader had accused Victor several times of colluding with gang members operating in Artibonite, especially in the community of Savien.

Meanwhile, a U.N. report released last year noted that Victor began arming young men in Petite Riviere to secure his 2016 election win. Those men eventually formed Gran Grif, the …