Former President Clinton brokering deal to release 9 of 10 jailed missionaries in Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Eight of the 10 Americans detained in Haiti are turning on their one-time leader, according to a report Saturday from NBC Nightly News.

A member of the group from Meridian’s Central Valley Baptist Church handed an NBC producer a note during a Saturday interview while group leader Laura Silsby was speaking. All members of the group signed the note, except for Silsby and her live-in Nanny, 24-year-old Charisa Coulter, NBC reported.

“We fear for our lives in Haiti. There is corruption and extortion,” the note read. “Laura wants to control. We believe lying. We’re afraid.”

The news came as the Times of London reported a possible deal to free all but Silsby. The report was based on unnamed legal sources in Haiti.

Former President Clinton, who is coordinating relief efforts in Haiti, “may accelerate resolution of an affair that has embarrassed the U.S. government, dismayed relief agencies and angered many Haitians,” the Sunday Times reported on its Web site.

The 10 Baptists have been in jail for more than a week after being stopped with 33 Haitian children at the Dominican Republic border. The Americans are charged with kidnapping and criminal association.

Meanwhile, the Haitian lawyer for the Baptists charged with child kidnapping tried to bribe the missionaries’ way out of jail and has been fired, the attorney who hired him told The Associated Press Saturday.

Haitian lawyer Edwin Coq denied the allegation. He said the $60,000 he requested from the Americans’ families was his fee.

Jorge Puello, the attorney in the neighboring Dominican Republic retained by relatives of the 10 American missionaries after their arrest last week, told The Associated Press that he fired Coq Friday night. He had hired Coq to represent the detainees at Haitian legal proceedings. Coq orchestrated “some kind of extortion with government officials” that would have led to the release of nine of the 10 missionaries, Puello charged.

“He had some people inside the court that asked him for money, and he was part of this scheme,” Puello said.

Coq denied the requested $60,000 payment amounted to a bribe.

“I have worked for 10 people for four days working all hours,” he said. “Look at what hour I’m working now, responding to these calls. I have the right to this money.”

On Friday, Coq told the AP that he was working for no fee.

Puello said Coq initially requested $10,000 but kept asking for more money. He said that when Coq reached $60,000, he said he could guarantee it would lead to the Americans’ release.

Coq said Thursday that Silsby deceived the others in the group by telling them she had the proper documents to remove the children from Haiti.

The Dominican consul in Haiti, Carlos Castillo, has said he warned Silsby on Jan. 29, the day the group was detained at the border, that she lacked the required papers and risked being arrested for child trafficking.

Asked if Silsby had deceived the other nine Baptists by assuring them she had the proper papers, Puello said Saturday, “I believe that is true.” He referred further questions on that issue to Sean Lankford, also of Meridian and the husband and father of two of the jailed missionaries.

Lankford declined comment Saturday, and other family members did not return calls.