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Christian Paradis says Canada bears no blame in mass jailbreak from Haitian prison

The Canadian Press , 13 Aug, 2014 10:44 PM

MONTREAL - International Development Minister Christian Paradis is rejecting any finger-pointing at Ottawa over a mass breakout at a Haitian maximum-security prison that was built by Canada.

Paradis says it's up to Haitian authorities to explain how 300 convicts got out.

He adds that the construction of the Croix-des-Bouquets prison was done according to regulations and the incident last weekend is due to a failure by the institution's administration.

Paradis says the establishment, located in a suburb of Port-aux-Prince, was suffering from an overcrowding problem at the time of the escape.

The Canadian government allocated $6 million for the construction of the prison in 2012.

It replaces one that was destroyed in the devastating 2010 earthquake.

More than 300 convicts fled on Sunday when armed men attacked the facility.

One of the escapees was a member of a prominent Haitian family and has since been recaptured.

Haiti has asked for help from Interpol, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica because it is believed some of the escapees fled the country.

Paradis was in Montreal Wednesday to announce additional aid for Haiti.

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