PORT-AU-PRINCE — Former Haitian President Michel Martelly arrived in Haiti on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. His return comes multiple international sanctions against him and ongoing judicial proceedings related to the 2021 assassination of his handpicked successor, former President Jovenel Moïse.

Several dozen supporters greeted Martelly upon his arrival at the airport. They played music, held pictures of him, and shouted “The father is back!” and “Long live Martelly!” Martelly did not answer questions as he made his way through the crowd.

Martelly has not stated why he traveled to Haiti. Local media reported that he is expected to testify as part of the ongoing investigation into the July 2021 killing of former President Jovenel Moïse. Martelly has not been accused or charged in the investigation into Moïse’s killing.

Martelly served as president of Haiti from 2011 to 2016 and chose Jovenel Moïse as his successor. Both Martelly and Moïse are members of the Tèt Kale Party (PHTK). The PHTK party did not register a candidate for the upcoming general elections in Haiti, a country that has not held general elections for more than a decade.

Martelly last visited Haiti roughly three years prior to July 2026. He lives in the United States and is also known as the musician “Sweet Micky.” Despite his public profile, Martelly has not publicly addressed the allegations against him.

Canada sanctioned Martelly in November 2022. The U.S. sanctioned him in August 2024, accusing him of facilitating drug trafficking and sponsoring multiple gangs. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control cited his ties to Haitian drug kingpins in its designation. “It is unacceptable for Haitian political and economic elites to plunder Haiti’s future,” the U.S. Department of State said at the time.

The Council of the European Union announced a travel ban and an asset freeze against Haitian politicians including Martelly in December 2025. The Council accused him of arming and financing gangs to promote his political agenda, control territory, and defend his personal and economic interests. Separately, Haiti’s Anti-Corruption Unit has accused Martelly of misrepresenting assets.

Martelly’s return occurs against a backdrop of prolonged political instability in Haiti, where democratic processes have been stalled for over ten years and successive governments have struggled to assert authority widespread gang violence. His presence in the country—despite sanctions from the U.S., Canada, and the European Union that allege his involvement in illicit networks—raises questions about the reach of judicial and anti-corruption mechanisms in a state where powerful elites have historically operated with impunity.

The investigation into Moïse’s 2021 assassination has implicated numerous figures across Haiti’s political and security sectors, but accountability remains limited. Martelly’s potential testimony could provide new information in a case that has the deep entanglement of politics, crime, and governance in Haiti. His silence on the mounting allegations, coupled with his party’s absence from the upcoming electoral process, further reflects the fragmentation of Haiti’s formal political institutions.