Haiti charges "Baby Doc" with corruption, abuse of power

Haiti's ex-dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier is taken out of his hotel by police in Port-au-Prince

Haitian authorities on Tuesday briefly detained former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and charged him with corruption, theft and abuses of power allegedly committed during his 15-year rule.

They questioned Duvalier over accusations that he stole public funds and committed human rights abuses after taking over as president in 1971. Outside, a noisy crowd of his supporters protested, calling for his release.

Chief Prosecutor Aristidas Auguste said his office has filed charges against Duvalier of corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds and other alleged crimes committed during the former president's 1971-1986 period in power. 

"His fate is now in the hands of the investigating judge. We have brought charges against him," Auguste told the Reuters news agency. A judge must now investigate the charges to determine if a criminal case should go ahead.

Duvalier, who returned to the country Sunday after 25 years of exile in France, spent several hours answering questions from officials in the prosecutor's office and and ordered to remain in the country.

The son of the late dictator, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, fled Haiti in 1986 during a popular uprising.

His unexpected return home in the midst of a political crisis following inconclusive presidential elections, took Haitians by surprise and left foreign governments confused.

On top of the the political uncertainty, the country is still reeling from an earthquake one year ago and is battling a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 3,800 people. The quake in January last year killed more than 316,000 people and left most of the country's infrastructure in ruins.

Human rights groups welcomed Duvalier's detention and urged the Haitian authorities to fully investigate the full range of accusations against him.

Amnesty International Special Adviser Javier Zuniga said Duvalier presided over a security apparatus which "carried out widespread and systematic human rights violations including torture, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances." He said some of these abuses by state-employed thugs known as "Tonton Macoutes" amounted to "crimes against humanity."

The U.S. State Department has said Duvalier's fate is a matter for the Haitian government and people to decide. And White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters Haiti's former and current leaders should focus on successfully completing the elections and reconstructing the country.