On Monday, April 9, 2018, one of Gilbert Bigio’s commercial buildings was burned down when the structure was set ablaze by suspected arson. A well-known Haitian billionaire, Bigio is the founder of BG Group and the wealthiest person in Haiti – a man who is very well connected.

Haiti has been spiraling out of control with drug trafficking and gangs ever since the Clinton’s invasion after the 2010 earthquake, but as of recent, things are really heating up. It has become dangerously unsafe to walk the streets of Haiti.

Bigio is from a Sephardic Jewish family from Aleppo, Syria, whose family emigrated to Haiti in 1896. My source, a native to Haiti, tells me that Bigio made most of his money in manufacturing iron for construction, as well as other construction related business – and his connections run deep.

“He does not allow competition and will crush anyone trying to compete with everything he produces or imports. Bigio knows how to survive in a country like Haiti. He has a private army of about 80 men protecting himself, his home and establishments. He also makes full use of every military, paramilitary, and police force in the country. Every chief of police is on his payroll. Every powerful member of the defunct military is also on his payroll. He controls the ministry of finances, the Authorité Portuaire National (APN). He has close ties to IDF (Israeli Defense Force), and uses about 10 Israeli commandos for his personal security when he feels the situation is at a critical point.”

Bigio is well-connected, there is no question about it. My source goes on to state, “Bigio also controls the port of Port-au-Prince and the port in Miragoane. The Israeli’s helped him built the Port of Lafito, making it a very modern port where he can enter anything he wants without control from APN. He also has powerful lobbyists in Washington D.C. to help him keep control of his assets in Haiti.”

This begs the question… with all of this security and control, who had access and dared to start such a fire? There are whispers looming about Bigio purchasing a resort hotel in Spain. If this is the case, is Bigio looking to relocate and leave Haiti for good?