Gilbert Bigio, a Haitian industrialist widely regarded as the country’s first billionaire and a figure linked to controversial ties with criminal gangs, died on September 29 in Florida at the age of 91. His death was confirmed by multiple Haitian news outlets.
Bigio’s business interests, consolidated under his holding company originally known as GB Group and later rebranded as BGO, spanned numerous sectors including steel, energy, logistics, consumer goods, construction, and banking. His conglomerate was deeply embedded in Haiti’s economy, supplying essential goods such as cooking oil and soap to households, steel to builders from the country's sole steel mill, and operating Haiti’s first deepwater container terminal. Additionally, BGO extended its presence regionally, owning gas stations in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
Despite largely maintaining a low public profile, Bigio’s role in Haiti’s economic elite drew significant international scrutiny, particularly following sanctions imposed by Canada in December 2022. Canadian authorities linked him and two other Haitian businessmen to activities that facilitate armed criminal gangs, including money laundering and corruption. A Canadian foreign ministry statement said the sanctions aimed to pressure those responsible for ongoing violence and instability in Haiti by targeting financial and material support to gangs.
Haiti has faced escalating instability since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, with armed gangs reportedly controlling up to 70 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and major transportation routes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlighted the cooperation between gangs and segments of Haiti’s economic elite, describing an oligarchic network that employs criminal tactics such as kidnapping and intimidation to maintain control.
Experts familiar with Haiti’s political and economic landscape noted the practicalities of operating in such an environment. Jake Johnston of the Center for Economic Policy and Research in Washington suggested that any major business operator in Port-au-Prince would likely engage, directly or indirectly, with armed actors to ensure operations such as port cargo movement. Johnston described Canada’s sanctions as largely symbolic with limited immediate impact on the entrenched power structures within the country.
Bigio’s family background traces back to Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Syria who settled in Haiti in the late 19th century. He was also Israel’s honorary consul in Haiti for 25 years. Known for his lavish lifestyle, he owned a mansion on Indian Creek, a private island in Miami renowned for housing affluent elites.
His financial activities have been scrutinized internationally, notably appearing in the 2021 Pandora Papers leak, which tied him to at least a dozen offshore shell companies, many registered in the Bahamas. Critics point to such structures as contributing to Haiti’s weak tax collection and economic fragility.
Bigio himself asserted in a 2004 interview that he avoided political involvement, emphasizing his role in supporting Jewish religious life in Haiti. However, the IMF and other analysts dispute this narrative, asserting that Haiti’s economic elites—including Bigio—wield significant political influence and, in some cases, collaborate with gangs for protection and power.
Born in Port-au-Prince on June 10, 1935, Bigio helped establish Acierie d’Haïti, the first Haitian steel mill, in 1972, which served as the foundation for his diversified business empire. At its peak, GB Group employed over 2,000 people. He retired from active leadership in 2018, passing the role to his son, Reuven Bigio. He is survived by his wife Monique and daughters Yael and Laurence.
While credited with industrial development and employment generation, Bigio’s legacy remains contested amid ongoing debates over the role and accountability of Haiti’s economic elite in the country’s persistent political turmoil and widespread poverty.