Chile investigates alleged bribery scheme at consulate in Haiti

Chile’s Centro Norte Prosecutor’s Office is investigating an alleged corruption scheme at the Chilean consulate in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, involving purported illegal payments to speed up consular procedures.

According to an investigation by Chilean media outlet T13, some applicants allegedly paid up to $100 for document legalization procedures that officially cost between $7 and $12. If the lower official fee is used as a reference, the alleged charge would be more than 14 times higher.

Prosecutors are investigating whether officials demanded additional payments, described as “commissions,” in exchange for allowing applicants to skip lines and obtain documents in days instead of waiting months.

The investigation led prosecutors and detectives from Chile’s PDI Anti-Corruption Brigade to conduct a search of the Chilean consulate in Port-au-Prince. Authorities reportedly seized computers, documents and cash found in different areas of the facility.

According to prosecutor Francisco Ledesma, investigators are examining whether applicants were being charged more than the established consular fees.

The scale of the alleged scheme could be significant. Around 14,000 consular procedures were carried out in Haiti last year, and T13 estimated that the money obtained irregularly could have exceeded $1 million if the alleged additional charges were applied across the procedures.

The allegations remain under investigation, and authorities have not established criminal responsibility against the individuals involved.