Exclusive | Contracts to feed police officers tainted by corruption

Police officers take Loperamide for diarrhea related to a poor quality canteen. Documents obtained by AyiboPost reveal cases of corruption in the distribution of contracts awarded for these canteens

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The food distributed to the police officers of the Departmental Unit for the Maintenance of Order (UDMO) is sometimes so bad that this policeman, as well as several of his colleagues, walk with packets of the anti-diarrheal tablet Loperamide in anticipation of the gastric problems generally incurred after eating the meals.

« Some police officers refuse to eat, and we have refused a delivery altogether, » the officer told AyiboPost.

Another officer complained about rice being served « excessively, with sodas and imported chicken, » which could harm the health of police officers with diabetes. Contacted by AyiboPost, more than half a dozen of his colleagues from several different units denounced the poor quality of the meals.

But the issue goes beyond the nutrient-poor diet, often made of rice and undercooked chicken, causing indigestion. In reality, the process of awarding contracts to feed several units of the Haitian National Police is marred by corruption and other administrative irregularities, according to documents obtained exclusively by AyiboPost.

In July 2024, the PNH launched a national call for tenders to recruit companies to provide catering services to police officers in specialized units and aspirants of the National Police Academy (ENP).

The contract, divided into eleven lots, allowed each company to bid for the whole, but to obtain only one, according to the tender documents. 66 bids were submitted before the deadline of August 30, 2024. At the end of the process, eleven companies were awarded the contracts.

However, a 32-page evaluation report by an ad hoc independent commission composed of representatives of the Ministry of Justice, lawyers, the Order of Chartered Accountants and members of civil society reveals systemic anomalies and corruption in the awarding of these contracts.

Click here to download this non-public report obtained exclusively by AyiboPost: Rapport d’évaluation

This report was submitted on December 27, 2024 to the Minister of Justice Patrick Pélissier.

According to the document obtained exclusively by AyiboPost, the tendering process resulted in the award of 72% of the contract to some companies, and 28% to others.

Eight of the eleven lots awarded were the subject of disputes. The disputed lots represent nearly three billion of the total amount of the contract, estimated at nearly four billion gourdes (72% and 76% of the market in volume and value respectively).

The legitimacy, technical capacity and very existence of these institutions are strongly questioned by the commission.

The eight contested prizes were won respectively by Noisy’ Services Traiteurs, Saveurs Tropicales, Food et Cook, Au Plaisir des Saveurs, Le Régal, Spirale Gourmande, Itinéraire Gourmands and Club Gourmet. The other three prizes were won by Le Flamboyant, Le Fushia and Le Decorati.

Visits by the commission revealed that four of the six companies visited were not found at the address provided. Community members found at the scene told the commission that these companies never existed in the area.

Food et Cook, Au Plaisir des Saveurs, Spirale Gourmande and Club Gourmet were not found at the addresses provided in the files. Only one company could be found and visited.

The commission notes a lack of rigour in the management of the process and the analysis of the documents received.

Le Régal, one of the winning companies, has closed its doors since 2021. Its manager, Joanne Jean, told the commission that her company did not participate in any call for tenders for restoration by the PNH. However, in the document of the list of beneficiaries, another name, that of Marie Edith Pierre, appears as the general manager of this company.

The report mentions missing documents, post-dated in relation to the closing date for the receipt of tenders, or bearing consecutive numbers found in the winning companies’ files. For example, licences and tax registration cards were issued after the bid submission date of August 30, 2024.

In four cases, the receipts relating to the renewal of the taxpayer’s tax number found in the files have consecutive numbers and the same date (October 16, 2024), and were issued at the same office of the DGI.

The patent found in some files was issued in October 2024 while the proposals were due on August 30, 2024.

This observation concerns the companies Noisy’s Service Traiteurs, Saveurs Tropicales, Food et Cook, Au Plaisir des Saveurs, Le Régal, Spirale Gourmande, Itinéraires Gourmands and Club Gourmet.

For the eight disputed lots, the patent found in the file was issued for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, according to the report.

Several of the bidders presented legal documents with consecutive numbers, suggesting concerted manipulation, according to the commission.

The latter also notes inconsistencies in the bids, such as the names of competing owners and bidders appearing in other winning bidders’ bids, which suggests hidden links between these companies.

The document also reveals troubling links between several winning companies.

According to the bank certificates consulted, some owners have a power of attorney over the account of other firms also selected.

This is the case, for example, of Fushia, represented by Lumière St-Vil, whose bank account is the subject of a power of attorney signed by Lusmene Bien-Aimé Desamours.

According to the committee, this finding proves that Fushia and Decorati are related companies.

In addition, their credit certificates were issued on the same day by the same financial institution, reinforcing suspicions of a link between the two companies.

AyiboPost sent a letter to the National Commission for Public Procurement (CNMP) on July 29, 2025 to obtain information regarding the HNP’s catering contracts.

The institution did not respond favorably to an interview request from AyiboPost. But in its acknowledgement of receipt dated August 5, the CNMP reveals to AyiboPost that it has sanctioned Spirale Gourmande, winner of lot seven and represented by Marie Paulette Léonard, as well as Itinéraires Gourmands, winner of lot ten and represented by Youselande Etienne Robert.

The independent commission, in its report, revealed inconsistencies that prove that these two companies have common links.

These two companies, accused of collusion in the process of the HNP’s catering contract, were excluded from public orders for a period of three years. It is not clear why the other companies with suspicious files were not ultimately sanctioned.

Délice à la Carte is one of the protest companies. She, along with five other participating companies, sent a letter to the outgoing Minister of Justice at the time, Carlos Hercule, disputing the results.

Contacted by AyiboPost, the company’s administrator, who did not wish to reveal his identity, said that the process was marred by irregularities and lacked transparency.

According to the administrator of Délice à la Carte, « only one company won all the prizes, even though it was not defined as such in the clauses ».

In a statement dated June 4, 2025, the Ensemble contre la Corruption, a civil society organization, criticized the decision of the CNMP, which had chosen to sanction only two companies, while irregularities concerned all eight companies awarded the disputed lots.

The commission, in the statement, had requested the opening of a judicial investigation in order to identify all public and private actors linked to this vast scandal, including the executives of the PNH, the CNMP as well as the ministerial authorities.

It had also requested the conduct of an independent audit on all public contracts of the HNP for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

To date, the country’s interim administration, already mired in several other corruption scandals, has not announced any initiative to respond to the denunciations.

A committee is provided for by the law of 10 June 2009 on public procurement to settle disputes. It was not put in place by the current administration.

In the meantime, the police continue to denounce the quality of the food distributed in certain units.

« Spaghetti is sometimes poorly prepared, too fatty or excessively spicy, » an agent told AyiboPost, referring to the case of one of his colleagues, an inspector, who fell ill because of the meals served. Persistent stomach pains convinced him to stop eating the food altogether.

Another police officer, interviewed by AyiboPost, denounced a persistent inequality in the treatment of units within the security forces. He considers it unacceptable that some units benefit from better quality meals and calls for fair treatment for all agents.

By: Fenel Pélissier, Wethzer Piercin  & Widlore Mérancourt

Click on these links to download the fact sheets of the companies that won the PNH catering contract tender launched in 2024, and the non-public report obtained exclusively by AyiboPost.

Fiche signalétique LE REGAL SERVICE TRAITEUR

Fiche signalétique Food & Cook Service Traiteur

Fiche signalétique de l’entreprise Food & Cook Service Traiteur

Fiche signalétique de l’entreprise LE CLUB GOURMET

Rapport d’évaluation