Haiti Can Sue Duvalier in France, French Court Rules
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AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France — A French court ruled today that Haiti can sue ousted dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier in France for $120 million the Caribbean island’s new government alleges he stole.
The appeal court here, overruling a Riviera civil court judgment, decided that French tribunals have the right to hear the action against “Baby Doc,” who fled to France after being forced out of Haiti in 1986.
The ruling cleared the way for the Haitian government to try to recover money it said Duvalier and his wife, Michele, siphoned from Haiti’s state funds before he was deposed.
The Duvaliers have lived in a walled estate rented from Saudi financier Adnan Khashoggi since they fled to France aboard a U.S. military plane two years ago.
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