Penn criticises Wyclef's political bid

Sean Penn has questioned Wyclef Jean's motives for running for president of Haiti.

Speaking to CNN, the actor said that he is suspicious of Jean's intentions to lead the country.

"This is somebody who's going to receive an enormous amount of support from the United States, and I have to say I'm very suspicious of it, simply because he, as an ambassador at large, has been virtually silent. For those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence," Penn said.

He also mentioned the allegations that Jean, a native of Haiti but raised in Brooklyn, mishandled $400,000 in donations for the country.

"He claims he didn't do it. That has to be looked into. I've been there. I know what $400,000 could do for these people's lives," said Penn, who has been active in helping the country following January's earthquakes.

He went on to question Jean's connections to US corporations, saying: "I see in Wyclef Jean somebody who could well have been influenced by the promise of support of companies. I think Haiti is clearly vulnerable... There is a history of American interests coming in and underpaying people. This is a culture of one to two dollars a day, that they were making."

Jean responded to Penn's remarks in an interview with The AP.

The singer/songwriter said: "I just want Sean Penn to fully understand I am a Haitian, born in Haiti and I've been coming to my country ever since [I was] a child. He might just want to pick up the phone and meet, so he fully understands the man."