Haitian leader takes on Spanish consultant and asks for a break

Michel Martelly says he doesn't know what happened to the $4 billion in earthquake relief that went to Haiti.

"We don't know where it is," says the new Haitian president. "When we ask, they tell us the money went to the people, to bury the dead, to treat the sick, and feed the hungry. These are things we can't see and things that are difficult to qualify."

On a recent visit to Madrid, the 50-year-old rapper-turned-politician said he wants Spain and other countries to give Haiti a chance. "It is true that Haiti has piles of trash, debris in houses, but we are a rich nation. We have wonderful beaches where huge tourist complexes can be built. You say 'but there is no electricity,' and that is true. But instead of it being a problem, it is an opportunity," Martelly said during a radio interview with the SER network.

Spain is the first European nation Martelly has visited following his inauguration on May 14. After the United States and Canada, Spain donated the most after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. It is also the home country of Martelly's closest advisors: Antonio Sola, an election consultant who has been linked for many years to Mariano Rajoy and the Popular Party (PP).

Until about a year ago, Martelly, who was better known by his rapper name "Sweet Mickey," didn't know how governments worked. Then Sola came on board. "He couldn't think about state structure but he did have a great understanding of the situation," Sola said. "When we first started to work with him in October, he was ranked seventh in polls. I personally got involved in the campaign, spending four months in Haiti until [past president] René Préval tried to throw me out. Thanks to the Spanish Embassy, which intervened, I stayed, and Martelly won with 68 percent of the votes," he said.

When asked who financed the campaign, Sola responded: "Angels who believe in Martelly [...] because he is clean, he has courage and believes he can construct a better world."