“For too long, the oligarchs bled this nation dry. Now, their empire of corruption is collapsing — and the people of Haiti must rise to finish the work of justice.”

Politics | The Haitian Pulse Editorial Team | September 26, 2025

The arrest of Dimitri Vorbe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami has sent shockwaves across the Haitian diaspora and the world. For many Haitians, this moment feels long overdue. Vorbe’s name has been synonymous with power, corruption, and betrayal. His detention is not an isolated event but part of a wider storm sweeping across Haiti’s oligarch class.

Just months after Pierre Réginald Boulos was snatched up by ICE, the fall of Vorbe shows that impunity is cracking. Haitians everywhere are celebrating, and with good reason: the chains that strangled the nation for decades are finally starting to break.

But make no mistake — this is more than just another headline. This is a reckoning.

Oligarchs and the Rape of a Nation

Haiti’s oligarchs built their fortunes not by creating opportunity, but by feeding off the weakness of the state and the desperation of the people. They privatized every vital sector of the economy — electricity, fuel, construction, imports, telecom, ports — and turned them into monopolies designed only to extract, never to build.

“These men were never builders of a nation — they were scavengers feeding on its wounds.”

They became gatekeepers of poverty:

• No business could grow without their blessing.

• No market could open without their cut.

• No service could function without their hand in it.

“While the Haitian child went to bed hungry, the oligarch dined in Miami and invested in Paris.”

They blocked competition, smothered ambition, and crippled economic growth. Instead of reinvesting their billions into Haiti’s schools, hospitals, or infrastructure, they funneled profits abroad — buying condos in Miami, luxury cars in Paris, and investments in foreign markets.

For decades, Haitians worked, suffered, and starved while a handful of families fattened themselves on the country’s misery.

Vorbe’s Rise and Fall

Among them, Dimitri Vorbe stood out. As vice-president of SOGENER (Société Générale d'Énergie S.A.), he controlled a massive slice of Haiti’s power sector. His company raked in profits from government contracts while the nation remained in darkness.

In 2020, then-President Jovenel Moïse directly confronted the Vorbe family, accusing SOGENER of corruption and theft. Moïse launched investigations, seized assets, and canceled contracts that had bled the state dry for years. Vorbe did not stay quiet. He fought back with arrogance and venom.

“Vorbe mocked the presidency itself, daring to stand above the will of the Haitian people.”

He positioned himself as untouchable, daring the government to challenge him. And as the conflict escalated, the Haitian people began to see the truth: Jovenel Moïse had drawn a line in the sand against the oligarchs — and Dimitri Vorbe was at the center of the storm.

Implication in the Assassination

When President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021, Haitians were left with grief, anger, and suspicion. The killing was not random. It was calculated, deliberate, and carried out by actors with both local and foreign connections.

Many in Haiti have never forgotten Vorbe’s open war of words with Moïse, nor his position as one of the oligarchs most threatened by the president’s crackdown. To this day, a large part of the Haitian population believes that Dimitri Vorbe had a hand in the plot.

“He who laughs at the law of the land will one day be judged by the law of the people.”

It is not just speculation. Moïse himself had warned that Haiti’s oligarchs — Vorbe included — were orchestrating his downfall. His assassination fulfilled that prophecy. For Haitians, Vorbe’s arrest is not just about immigration violations in Miami. It is about accountability for a man long suspected of having blood on his hands.

The Karma of the Oligarchs

The oligarchs believed they were untouchable. They thought their money, their power, and their foreign allies would shield them forever. But the laws of karma are relentless.

Today, Vorbe is in ICE custody. His power stripped, his image tarnished, his empire exposed. Tomorrow, others will follow. The United States has made it clear: the era of protection for Haiti’s oligarchs is over.

“They wrote Haiti’s suffering into their balance sheets. Now, their profits have become their chains.”

The arrests of Boulos and Vorbe are only the beginning. A long list of names waits in the shadows — those who trafficked in misery, who funded gangs, who strangled Haiti’s chance at growth. One by one, they will fall. And when they do, Haitians must be ready.

What Their Fall Means for Haiti

The dismantling of Haiti’s oligarchy is not just about individual arrests. It is about tearing down a system that has enslaved the nation for generations.

• Economic Liberation: For the first time in decades, genuine entrepreneurs may be free to build without oligarch interference.

• Political Shifts: Without oligarch money funding corrupt politicians, Haiti’s fragile democracy could stand a chance. The people, not the elite, could begin to shape policy.

• National Awakening: These arrests serve as proof that no one is above accountability. For a population long beaten down by hopelessness, this moment is fuel for courage.

“Haiti’s chains are not only held by gangsters with guns, but by men in suits with contracts.”

But this will only matter if Haitians themselves rise up to demand the change. Foreign arrests can only go so far. The true victory will come when Haitians dismantle the oligarch system at home.

The Return to Face the People

If Vorbe or Boulos are deported back to Haiti, their return will not be a celebration. It will be a confrontation. They will stand before a people who now understand the full weight of their betrayal.

Haitians are no longer sleeping. They see clearly how oligarchs sabotaged growth, stole wealth, and even — many believe — conspired to assassinate the country’s own president.

“The people are no longer afraid. And when fear dies, tyrants tremble.”

If these men return, they will face not adoration but wrath. The same script they wrote — of exploitation, manipulation, and betrayal — will be the one they must read when the people deliver justice.

The Call to Action

Haitians must seize this moment. The arrests of Vorbe and Boulos are not just news stories — they are opportunities.

• An opportunity to build new economic systems independent of oligarch control.

• An opportunity to unite diaspora and homeland in a shared vision of progress.

• An opportunity to hold every corrupt leader, businessman, and gang financier accountable.

The old order is collapsing. What replaces it will depend on whether Haitians stay vigilant or fall back into silence.

At The Haitian Pulse, we believe Dimitri Vorbe’s arrest is a turning point. It proves that even the most powerful can be brought low. But the true fight is just beginning. Haiti must use this moment to uproot the oligarch system, demand justice for Jovenel Moïse, and build a nation where wealth serves the people, not enslaves them. To our readers: your voice is your power. Leave your comment below — let it be known that Haiti will never again be ruled by thieves in suits.