Who is paying Michel Martelly's lobbyists? What the contract filed in Washington says

Who is paying the lobbying firm tasked with getting the US sanctions against Michel Martelly lifted? According to the contract filed on November 5, 2026, with the US Department of Justice, it is not the former president, but a Miami company, Invisible Investigations, LLC. The firm Liberty Government Affairs, LLC registered there as an agent of a foreign principal, under the FARA law, which requires lobbyists working for foreign interests to declare themselves and publish their contracts.

The contract is signed for Invisible Investigations by Edward Haynes, not by Michel Martelly. The document specifies that Michel Martelly is "the intended beneficiary" of these services, and the US Justice Department registry designates the principal as "Michel Joseph Martelly (via Invisible Investigations LLC)," with an address in Pétion-Ville.

The contract, dated October 22, 2026, and signed by the firm's head, Brian Darling, provides for a deposit of 125,000 US dollars, then 50,000 dollars per month. Travel and meeting expenses are reimbursed up to 5,000 dollars per month. The firm states it already received 75,000 dollars from Invisible Investigations on September 10, 2026, as a deposit. The first period runs until December 31, 2026, and then the contract renews each month.

The firm is to intervene with the US Treasury and State Department. According to the contract, the goal is to change a policy that uses the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to sanction foreigners "for reasons not based on sufficient factual or legal evidence." The firm plans advocacy strategies, meetings with administration officials, and regular reports. It specifies that it does not guarantee any results.

The contract contains a clause about the money. Invisible Investigations asserts that Michel Martelly will not reimburse it, "directly or indirectly," for these payments. The funds must come solely from dollars already deposited in banks in the United States.

The US Treasury sanctioned Michel Martelly on August 20, 2024. Washington accuses him of facilitating drug trafficking, particularly cocaine destined for the United States, and of supporting armed gangs. According to the contract, he is on an "a la carte" OFAC sanctions list, and not on the list of persons whose assets are frozen.

These steps come as the former president wants to return to power. On October 23, he filed his candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for December 13, under the banner of the Debloke coalition, which brings together former members of his party, the PHTK. His candidacy still needs to be validated by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP). On social media, a movement led mainly by young people is opposing his candidacy and that of other figures under the same banner. Its slogan, "Nou p ap vote vòlè ankò" ("We will no longer vote for thieves"), is circulating on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where it is even being turned into a song.

Michel Martelly has not publicly reacted to this information.