Above: Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe and President Michel Martelly

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s government has launched the first phase of an anti-corruption initiative, according to Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

The operation, which was conducted in the city of Port de Paix, resulted in the arrests of three executives of the regional office of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training and the National Credit Bank.

The corruption ring reportedly included evidence of embezzlement, forgery and money laundering.

According to Lamothe’s office, the ring leader, a senior manager at the Ministry’s regional office, is still on the run.

The Prime Minister’s office did not release the names of the suspects or those arrested.

Another 40 suspects are awaiting hearing by relevant authorities, according to the Prime Minister’s office.

The operation identified 3.7 million gourdes (approximately $87,140) associated with the suspects; those funds have now been frozen, according to the PM.

Lamothe, in a statement, said he reiterated his “firm determination” to making the fight against corruption a major priority of his administration.

The operation was reportedly conducted with inter-agency cooperation including Haiti’s Financial Intelligence Unit.