Ten US missionaries are facing lengthy jail sentences after being charged with the kidnap of 33 Haitian children that they allegedly attempted to take out of the country illegally.
Laura Silsby, the leader of the group, and the other nine defendants arrived at the hearing in Port-au-Prince on Thursday with their cases packed, optimistic they would be let off, but were each charged with "kidnapping minors and criminal association".
The missionaries, five men and five women, were visibly upset by the decision, according to those at the courthouse, and bowed their heads in prayer as a Jeep drove them back to their holding cells. Kidnapping carries a sentence of between five and 15 years in prison, while the second charge is punishable by between three and nine years.
The Americans, largely made up of members of the congregation of two Idaho baptist churches, were arrested after they attempted to take a busload of 33 children over the border into the Dominican Republic on January 29 without, it is alleged, proper documentation. They claim they were rescuing abandoned orphans from the poverty-stricken country after the devastating earthquake last month in which at least 212,000 died. But it has emerged that most of the children have living parents.
Edwin Coq, the Haitian lawyer defending all 10 of the accused, said that nine were entirely innocent, but was less defensive of Ms Silsby's actions.
"I'm going to do everything I can to get the nine out," Mr Coq told the Associated Press. "They were naive. They had no idea what was going on and they did not know that they needed official papers to cross the border. But Silsby did."
Carlos Castillo, the Dominican consul in Haiti, told the agency that Ms Silsby had visited him on the day she had tried to bus the children out, and he had specifically warned her that if she did not obtain adoption papers signed by appropriate Haitian authorities, her actions would be considered child trafficking. "We were very specific," he said.
Some had raised questions over whether the Americans would face a fair trial in Haiti, as its legal system is not yet back on its feet, but Paul Denis, the country's justice minister, has insisted that the case be heard there. "It is Haitian law that has been violated," he told Agence France-Presse. "It is up to the Haitian authorities to hear and judge the case. I don't see any reason why they should be tried in the United States."
Ms Silsby, who is also currently the subject of legal action in the US over alleged non-payment issues at her personal shopping business, began plans to create an orphanage for Haitian and Dominican children in the Dominican Republic last summer, with the intent of working with US adoption agencies to find Christian homes for the children.
When the earthquake hit she decided to act immediately and recruited other church members to assist her. The group spent a week gathering children, between the ages of two and 12, all of whom she claimed were either rescued from collapsed orphanages or handed over by distant relatives.
But according to Patricia Vargas, an official at SOS Children's Village, which is now looking after the children, of those who could talk, none said their parents were dead.
Families have claimed they gave away their children to the missionaries because the Americans had promised them a better life and education and had been told they would be allowed to visit.
It is not the first time Ms Silsby has found herself in the courts. Her Idaho-based business Personal Shopper, has been the subject of nine successful civil court claims for non-payment of wages, and was forced to pay US$31,000 in salaries and a further $4,000 in fines. In a further case scheduled to be heard on February 22, another former employee is suing her company for $22,000 he says it owes him.
After defaulting on her home in July, Ms Silsby registered the non-profit organisation New Life Children's Refuge at that address in November, a month before the house was repossessed, according to the New York Times.
@Email:lmorris@thenational.ae
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Two stars out of five
