Haitian Energy Sector Executive and Opposition Influencer Wins Nearly $1 Million US in Poker Tournament

Photo courtesy of: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-green-and-purple-poker-chips-39856/

Last month, Dimitri Vorbe, Vice President of Societe Generale d'Energie SA (Sogener), a privately-run electricity provider in Haiti, won the 2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO). The event, which ran from July 22 - August 10, 2021 in south Florida, is a major poker tournament. 

Per the SHRPO official website and cardplayer.com, a website dedicated to the poker industry, Vorbe, who recently relocated to Florida, was entitled to $929,365 USD and earned the 2021 SHRPO trophy. Vorbe, considered a recreational player before the August victory, described the win as a "great feeling" and "achievement" earned from "starting from scratch." While he certainly made tough strides to succeed in poker as he went from winning just $2,085 in past tournaments to nearly $1 million last month, he did not "start from scratch" in life. The well-known Vorbe family is part of the Haitian elite 'bourgeoisie" class.

Vorbe does not limit himself to the energy sector and sport. According to his Twitter profile, Vorbe is also President of Velas Hispaniola (Candles Hispaniola), a leading Dominican Republic-based candle manufacturer that exports products to over 30 countries. Earlier this year, Dominican President Luis Abinader celebrated the inauguration of the industrial park housing Velas Hispaniola, which is said to be one of the largest candle makers in Latin America. 

He is also known to voice his opinions on Haitian politics and occasionally launch well-publicized tirades against former Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Vorbe expressed his frustrations with President Moise going after his properties and businesses in this video (in Haitian Creole).  At the 1:14 mark he says "if Jovenel does not want me to succeed, he (Jovenel) would have to 'bwe pwazon!' " (a Haitian Creole saying equivalent to telling someone to f*ck off or go to hell). Although Vorbe does not hold an official role in any Haitian opposition party, his views hold great weight due to the Vorbe family's esteemed position in the country's oligarchy. 

Vorbe and President Moise's conflict stemmed from recent allegations that Sogener mismanaged a government contract awarded to produce electricity. President Moise actively sought to make good on campaign promises to end corruption and reform the energy sector. The government of Haiti, a country with frequent power outages, clamped down on Sogener, which has allegedly failed to produce adequate levels of electricity despite receiving $12 million USD monthly to do so since the mid 2000s. I do not believe the contract is publicly available now, so I cannot post it.

After an initial investigation, the Moise administration eventually terminated the contract and seized Sogener's main office as well as the private residences of Vorbe and other Sogener executives. Vorbe denies all such accusations and considers President Jovenel's actions as political persecution and authoritarian. Interestingly enough, Judge Mathieu Chanlatte, the former lead investigator into President Jovenel Moise's assassination, heeded the government's order to seize Sogener's assets. 

Strangely, Judge Chanlatte resigned from the investigation just days after joining it last month. Was Judge Chanlatte pressured to resign from the assassination inquiry based on his track record against Sogener? As I mentioned in my last post here, Judge Chanlatte's assistant, tasked with conducting legal research for the investigation, was reportedly murdered last month. This is a clear sign of a concerted effort to sabotage the probe. Who would benefit from a weak or non-existent inquiry into the President's death? 

To be clear, I find nothing wrong with Vorbe's business and sport wins. But does he remember or care about his people back home suffering from rolling blackouts? Has he supported recovery efforts after last month's devastating earthquake? He is obviously very savvy and became wealthy in Haiti, so one would think he would make philanthropic efforts there. His business acumen is admirable and Velas Hispaniola has created hundreds of jobs, which is a great contribution to the Dominican economy. 

While some sources go as far as implicating him in President Moise's assassination due to his long-standing issues with the President, the Haitian government has not formally charged Vorbe with any assassination-related crime; therefore, I will publicly reserve my judgement. He has reportedly been asked to testify in the assassination inquiry; however, it is unclear if or when he will respond to that request.

What are your thoughts? Also, if you'd like a quick refresh on Haitian politics, read my latest Haiti-specific blog post here, 

Receipts - https://press.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/poker/seminole-hard-rock-hotel-casino-hollywood-announces-winners-from-the-big-4-championships/

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2021/08/2021-seminole-hard-rock-poker-open-shrpo-results-39635.htm

https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/26119-dimitri-vorbe-wins-2021-seminole-hard-rock-poker-open-championship-for-929-365

https://dr1.com/wordpress/2021/02/24/velas-hispaniola-makes-the-dr-the-largest-manufacturer-of-candles-in-latin-america-president-abinader-inaugurates-its-new-factory/

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=https://www.diariolibre.com/portada/abinader-encabeza-inauguracion-nuevas-instalaciones-de-empresa-velas-hispaniola-NL24587028&prev=search&pto=aue

Vorbe's frustration with President Moise - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7J5mBqh8c

https://commentcentral.co.uk/how-to-fix-haitis-electricity-crisis/

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31423-haiti-flash-the-state-seized-the-sogener-company-and-the-property-of-its-leaders.html

https://www.italy24news.com/world/115621.html