Tricksters played a cruel hoax on Haitians, at a time when the country needs every bit of hope and help it can get after January’s devastating earthquake.

The hoax, in the form of an e-mail recently circulated to the international media, announced that France agreed to pay the Haitian government 90 million gold francs (estimated at $21 billion) to assist Haiti in its recovery from the earthquake. The announcement was also posted on a website alleged to be that of the French Foreign Ministry.

Earlier this week, according to an AP report, a representative of the French Foreign Ministry, Bernard Valero, said the announcement was the result of individuals spreading false information and fraudulently copying the site of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It was also reported that the Foreign Ministry is planning to take legal action against the perpetuators of the hoax.

Since the earthquake, Haitians in Haiti and abroad have expressed the hope that France would repay part or all of approximately $20 billion that Haiti began paying to France shortly after it gained independence early in the 19th century.

For decades, there has been controversy over Haiti’s payments of the funds to France.

When Haiti defeated the French and declared its independence in 1804, becoming the first world’s first Black-led republic, France refused to recognize the new nation.

However, in 1825, France agreed to grant this recognition in exchange for a payment of 150 gold francs to cover the loss to France of assets including slaves, land and other property. Haiti agreed to the arrangement and France also agreed to remove a stifling embargo enforced by itself, Britain and the United States that starved Haitians of urgently needed food and supplies, planting the seeds for Haiti’s history of poverty.

Although Haiti sought huge international loans to make the payments to France, the French never absolutely fulfilled their part of the agreement, although it agreed to reduce the payment to 97 gold francs. It took Haiti over 100 years, until 1947, to pay off the debt.

For years, Haiti, through various governments and private citizens has tried to get France to repatriate all or some of the money that was paid. However, despite Haiti’s history of poverty and unfortunate experiences with devastating disasters, France never agreed to make any repayments.

After the January earthquake, there were mumblings that France may consider making some repayments, but this was more wishful thinking than fact.

In the days following the quake, France requested the international community to hasten the cancellation of Haiti’s foreign debt, including a 54-million-euro ($77.6 million US dollars) debt to France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged the hosting of the "reconstruction and development" conference with other international donors held in Montreal, Canada that planned help for Haiti’s recovery. France also placed a halt on the repatriation of undocumented Haitian immigrants to Haiti, and implemented a policy that allowed victims of the quake to enter France.

“However, although Haitians were appreciative of the kind actions of the French, what most wanted to hear was France announcing it would begin repatriating the vast sums paid over the years by Haiti,” said Pierre Francois, a French-Haitian law student residing in Miami.

“This repatriation would be a blessing, especially if it was done within a tight agreement that included human resources and technical assistance to Haiti. That’s why this Internet hoax was so cruel. Some Haitians must have thought at last restitution is being made by France only to learn its nothing but a lie.”