Baby Doc Returns to Haiti

By: Joel Dreyfuss | Posted: January 16, 2011 at 8:36 PM

Supporter with poster of Baby Doc (AFP/Getty Images)

Fomer Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier made a surprising return to his homeland Sunday, raising fears that he will complicate the already confused political situation. News agencies reported that Duvalier and his French wife landed at Port-au-Prince's international airport and were met by former members of his cabinet.

Duvalier has been in exile for 25 years. He was accused of stealing $100 million from the treasury, money that Haiti has tried to recover from Swiss banks. He left the country on a U.S. plane in 1986 after massive anti-government protests and a number of deaths. He has been living in France and has occasionally indicated that he would like to return home.

Haiti is currently in a political stalemate, with President René Préval reportedly resisting an OAS recommendation to bar his favored candidate, Jude Celestin, from a runoff election. The question bound to come up is why Duvalier was allowed to return at all and whether his admission is part of someone's devious political plan.

Read more about Baby Doc's return here.