Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry refuses to talk about Moise's murder night

One day after investigators invited Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry for the questioning as part of their probe into the murder of President Jovenel Moise, Henry rejected the invitation. He described it as a "diversionary tactic".

On Friday, the Haiti prosecutor asked the prime minister to meet with him next week to clarify why he talked to one of the main suspects in the Moise assassinators at his residence in the capital Port-au-Prince on July 7.

The assassination of the president has led the Caribbean nation, which has already struggled with severe gang violence and political instability, to further unrest. Haitians have called for a deep and independent investigation into the killing.

"I want to explain to those who have not yet understood that diversionary tactics to sow confusion and prevent Justice from taking its course will not stand," Henry published on Twitter in French on Saturday, without directly referring to the prosecutors' invitation.

"The real perpetrators, masters and sponsors of President Jovenel Moise's vicious assassination are being identified, brought to justice and punished for their crimes," he said in another tweet.

Late Friday, prosecutor Bed-Ford asked Claude to show up Tuesday to answer questions about the call. Police are still actively searching for former officer Joseph Felix Badio, who worked in the Justice Department and anti-corruption unit.

Badio's phone was reportedly discovered in the area near the Moise residence as he spoke to Henry twice in the early hours of July 7 after the president was murdered.

Since a judge had already been given to handle the probe, he had no power to call anyone, but he justified his request by citing the "extreme seriousness" of the investigation, which was in the "national interest".

A prime minister can not be legally questioned unless the president authorizes it, but after Moise's death, Haiti has no president.