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It looks like karma finally caught up with one of Haiti’s most notorious businessmen. Dimitri Vorbe, the executive vice president of SOGENER and longtime energy mogul, is now sitting in ICE custody in Florida. According to official ICE records, Vorbe is being held at Krome North Service Processing Center, and his status is very clear: “in custody.”
For decades, Haitians have accused Vorbe and his company of literally keeping the country in the dark while padding their own pockets. Through SOGENER, Vorbe became synonymous with Haiti’s broken energy sector. Ordinary people went without electricity while he raked in millions from contracts that critics have long labeled as exploitative and corrupt. The man built an empire while the streets of Port-au-Prince stayed dim, and now, ironically, he finds himself under the fluorescent lights of U.S. detention.
But Vorbe isn’t just a businessman accused of bleeding his country dry, he’s also a compulsive gambler. In South Florida casinos and poker rooms, he became infamous for throwing down thousands at the tables. In 2021, he stunned professionals by winning the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship, walking away with nearly $930,000 in prize money. He called himself a “recreational player,” but his pattern of high-stakes play painted a different picture. Just as he gambled recklessly with cards, he gambled with Haiti’s future, betting on the belief that the people would stay powerless while he stayed rich.
This isn’t Vorbe’s first dance with the law. In 2018, he sparred with then–Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe over the PetroCaribe scandal and found himself dragged before Haiti’s Senate for questioning. In 2019, under President Jovenel Moïse, the government moved against SOGENER’s contracts, accusing Vorbe and his associates of profiting off sweetheart deals. Arrest warrants flew, and Vorbe fled. By 2020, he was already briefly arrested in Florida over visa issues but managed to slip back into the shadows. This time, however, ICE seems less willing to play nice.
And then there’s the darkest cloud of all. Vorbe’s name has even surfaced in the swirling allegations surrounding the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. While nothing has been proven in court, whispers in Haitian political circles long tied Vorbe to the storm of intrigue and power struggles that ended with the president’s brutal killing in 2021. Whether rumor or reality, the fact that such an accusation hangs over his head only adds to the image of a man whose reach into Haiti’s chaos ran deeper than electricity contracts and poker chips.
And here’s where things get deliciously ironic: Vorbe isn’t the only Haitian elite suddenly facing U.S. detention. Just recently, Reginald Boulos, another heavyweight of Haiti’s wealthy class, also found himself in ICE custody. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe the United States is finally getting around to holding Haiti’s so-called “untouchables” accountable, even if only through immigration loopholes.
For a population that has suffered for decades while a handful of elites got fat off their misery, this moment feels almost poetic. The very people accused of scamming the system, of bleeding the country dry, of turning power outages into personal profit, and even of being tied to Haiti’s darkest political crimes, are suddenly powerless themselves. Haiti may never get true justice through its own broken courts, but watching Vorbe in an ICE detention center might just be the closest thing to accountability Haitians have seen in years.
So, yes, the chickens have come home to roost. Dimitri Vorbe, once untouchable in his fortress of influence, money, and gambling chips, is now reduced to a detainee number in a U.S. immigration facility. And if that isn’t a plot twist worthy of Haitian history, what is?
And let’s not forget the company he’s keeping. With both Vorbe and Boulos now detained by ICE, Haitians are watching two pillars of the oligarchy stripped of their aura of invincibility. Is it coincidence that two of the most powerful men accused of profiting while the country bled, and in Vorbe’s case even being whispered about in connection to Jovenel’s assassination, are suddenly facing U.S. detention at the same time? Maybe. Or maybe it’s the start of a reckoning. Haiti’s elites, long shielded by money and influence, may finally be running out of places to hide.
Dimitri Vorbe and the Shadows of Jovenel Moïse’s Assassination
When Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021, the world watched in shock as details spilled out of Port-au-Prince like pieces of a broken puzzle. Who had the most to gain? Who pulled the strings behind the mercenaries who stormed the president’s home? Among the names that kept surfacing in hushed tones and political circles was one that Haitians already knew all too well: Dimitri Vorbe.
Vorbe, the executive vice president of SOGENER and longtime power broker in Haiti’s energy sector, had already become a symbol of corruption for many citizens. His company was accused for years of exploiting sweetheart energy contracts, keeping Haiti literally in the dark while enriching himself and his family. But whispers about his possible role in Jovenel Moïse’s death pushed his reputation from shady businessman to alleged political puppet master.
The tension between Vorbe and Moïse was no secret. By 2019, the Moïse government had launched a very public war against SOGENER, accusing Vorbe of profiting at the expense of the state. Arrest warrants were issued, and Vorbe fled Haiti rather than face the music. He reappeared in Florida, where he styled himself as a victim of political persecution. But the timing was damning: a president dead, a businessman accused of bleeding the nation dry, and rumors swirling that the feud between Moïse and Vorbe went much deeper than contracts and courtrooms.
Nothing has ever been proven in court, but Haiti is a country where “official truth” rarely lines up with the reality people live and breathe. In the streets, many believe that Vorbe had both motive and means. Jovenel Moïse had dared to challenge Haiti’s oligarchs and not just challenge them, but threaten the very system that had kept men like Vorbe rich and untouchable for decades. In a nation where assassinations and coups are practically woven into the political fabric, it didn’t take long for the narrative to take shape: Vorbe had finally gambled too big, and this time the stakes were the presidency itself.
Fast forward to today, and the irony is rich. Vorbe, once whispered about as a man who might have engineered the takedown of a head of state, is now reduced to an ICE detainee number in Florida. While nothing has been proven, the allegations stick like smoke to his name, and in Haitian politics, smoke often means fire.
And if this sounds like coincidence, think again. Vorbe isn’t alone. Just weeks ago, Reginald Boulos, another member of Haiti’s wealthy class accused of manipulating politics and profiting while the people suffered, was also detained by ICE. Two oligarchs, two detention centers, and a country watching from the sidelines asking the same question: is this finally justice, or just another twist in Haiti’s endless political soap opera?
What Haitians know for sure is this: Jovenel Moïse is gone, his assassination remains a wound that has not healed, and the names that keep coming up , Vorbe among them , remind people of just how rotten the system has been. Whether Vorbe ever faces trial for anything more than immigration violations is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: the chickens are circling, and the roost is starting to look crowded.
Dimitri Vorbe Detni pa ICE: Mògòl, Eskrok, Jwè Azad ak Sipoze Mèt jwèt Politik Finalman Kwense
Sanble karma finalman rive jwenn youn nan pi gwo non ki gen move repitasyon nan Ayiti. Dimitri Vorbe, vis prezidan egzekitif SOGENER ak gwo mogòl enèji depi plizyè dizèn lane, kounye a ap chita nan prizon imigrasyon ICE nan Florid. Dapre dosye ICE yo, Vorbe ap kenbe nan Krome North Service Processing Center, ak estati li klè: “an detansyon.”
Depi plizyè dizèn lane, pèp Ayisyen ap akize Vorbe ak konpayi l de kenbe peyi a nan fènwa pandan yo t ap gonfle pòch yo. Avèk kontra leta anpil moun rele kontravansyon, SOGENER vin senbòl echèk sektè elektrisite Ayiti. Pèp la san kouran, men Vorbe ak fanmi l ap rasanble milyon. Nonm ki te konstwi yon anpi pandan lari Pòtoprens te rete nan fènwa, jodi a jwenn tèt li anba limyè fluo ICE. Ironi a dwòl anpil.
Men Vorbe se pa sèlman yon biznisman yo akize de souse peyi a. Li se tou yon jwè azad dejwe. Nan kazino ak chanm pokè nan Florid, li te vin popilè pou parye gwo lajan. An 2021, li te etone pwofesyonèl yo lè li ranpòte Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship, kote li te pote prèske 930,000 dola. Li te rele tèt li yon “jwè rekreyatif,” men konpòtman paryaj li te montre yon lòt reyalite. Menm jan li te jwe tèt anba ak kat yo, se konsa li te jwe tèt anba ak lavni Ayiti.
Sa a pa premye fwa Vorbe gen pwoblèm ak lalwa. An 2018, li te goumen piblikman ak ansyen Premye Minis Laurent Lamothe sou dosye PetroCaribe, e yo te mennen l devan Sena Ayiti. An 2019, gouvènman Jovenel Moïse te frape kont SOGENER, akize l de fè Leta peye twòp. Manda arestasyon te tonbe, e Vorbe te pran kouri. An 2020, yo te deja arete l nan Florid pou kesyon viza, men li te chape. Jodi a, ICE sanble pa vle jwe dous ankò.
Pou ajoute lwil sou dife a, non li menm te site nan rumeur ki antoure asasinay Prezidan Jovenel Moïse an 2021. Pa gen prèv solid ki janm prezante nan tribinal, men anpil moun kwè non Vorbe tèlman kole nan kriz politik Ayiti a, li difisil pou kwè li pa t ap jwe okenn wòl.
Epi gade ironie a: Vorbe pa pou kont li. Réginald Boulos, yon lòt gwo figi oligachi Ayisyen, tou jwenn tèt li nan detansyon ICE. Èske se senp konyensidans? Oswa èske Etazini finalman deside montre oligak Ayisyen yo ke “intouchables” yo pa tèlman entouchab ankò?
Pou pèp Ayisyen ki pase dè dekad ap soufri pandan yon ti gwoup ap viv nan deliks, sèn sa a santi l prèske poetik. Gwo non yo, ki pèp la akize de souse sistèm nan, de kenbe yo nan fènwa, menm de mele nan krim politik, jodi a ap viv san pouvwa. Ayiti ka pa janm jwenn jistis vre nan tribinal pwòp li yo, men wè Vorbe dèyè baryè ICE sanble ak pi pre jistis pèp la janm santi.
Wi, poul yo retounen nan lakay yo. Dimitri Vorbe, nonm ki te parèt entouchab ak lajan, enfliyans ak kat pokè, kounye a vin tounen yon nimewo detni. Si sa pa yon tòde istwa ki merite plas nan liv istwa Ayiti, m pa konnen kisa ki ye.
Epi ak Boulos ki nan menm sitiyasyon an, se yon klè siy: elit Ayisyen yo, ki te panse yo te gen tout pouvwa, kòmanse pèdi tout plas pou kache.
Dimitri Vorbe ak Lonbraj Asasinay Jovenel Moïse
Lè yo te asasinen Prezidan Jovenel Moïse nan mwa Jiyè 2021, tout mond lan te sezi. Kesyon an te rete klè: Ki moun ki te gen plis pou l genyen? Kilès ki te rale fil dèyè merisaryen ki te antre lakay prezidan an? Nan non ki t ap sikile nan kachèt ak nan sèk politik yo, te gen yon non pèp Ayisyen deja konnen twòp: Dimitri Vorbe.
Vorbe, vis prezidan egzekitif SOGENER, te deja vin tounen yon senbòl koripsyon pou anpil sitwayen. Konpayi li a te akize pandan ane yo de pwofite sou kontra enèji twòp dous, kite Ayiti nan fènwa pandan li menm ak fanmi l ap fè milyon. Men lè bri yo te kòmanse kouri sou wòl li nan lanmò Jovenel, imaj li te vin pi rèd toujou: soti nan biznisman lonbraj pou rive nan sipoze mèt jwèt politik.
Tansyon ant Vorbe ak Moïse pa t sekrè. Nan 2019, gouvènman Moïse te lanse yon lagè kont SOGENER, akize Vorbe de souse lajan Leta. Yo te bay manda arestasyon, e Vorbe te kouri kite peyi a. Li te parèt nan Florid, kote li te prezante tèt li kòm viktim pèsekisyon politik. Men lè yo mete pwen sou kontè: yon prezidan asasinen, yon biznisman akize de souse peyi a, epi bri k ap sikile sou konfli ki t ap depase kesyon kontra sèlman.
Jiska jodi a, pa gen okenn prèv ofisyèl ki mete l koupab nan tribinal. Men nan lari a, anpil Ayisyen kwè li te gen mwayen ak rezon. Jovenel Moïse te fè gwo oligak yo pè, e lè yon prezidan eseye kase sistèm ki alimante richès yo pandan plizyè dizèn lane, rezilta a souvan fini ak san. Nan yon peyi kote asasina ak koudeta se tankou yon tradisyon politik, pa t pran tan pou moun kwè: Vorbe te jwe yon jwèt trò gwo, epi fwa sa a paryaj la se te tèt prezidan an.
Koulye a, ironi a bèl anpil. Vorbe, yon non yo t ap site kòm moun ki te ka òganize lanmò yon prezidan, kounye a vin tounen yon nimewo detni ICE nan Florid. Kit li ta pase devan tribinal oswa non, non li kole ak asasinay Jovenel la tankou lafimen. E nan politik Ayisyen, kote gen lafimen, souvan gen dife.
Epi ann gade sa k ap pase tou: Vorbe pa pou kont li. Dènyèman, Réginald Boulos, yon lòt gwo non nan oligachi Ayiti a, te jwenn tèt li nan men ICE tou. De oligak, de sant detansyon, epi yon pèp k ap gade ak menm kesyon an: èske se jistis finalman, oswa se yon lòt epizòd nan teyat san fen politik Ayiti?
Sa pèp la konnen pou asire se sa: Jovenel Moïse disparèt, asasinay la rete yon blesi ki poko janm geri, epi non ki ap tounen sou bouch moun Vorbe ladan yo fè pèp la sonje konbyen sistèm nan pouri. Kit ICE fè l pase devan jij oswa non, mesaj la klè: poul yo ap retounen nan lakay yo, e kòk la kòmanse chaje.
