Decision on bail for missionaries delayed

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Electrical problems at the courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, delayed a bail decision for the 10 U.S. missionaries detained in Haiti, officials said.

Prosecutors blamed the electrical problems for being unable to print their recommendations on bail for the judge to review Monday, CNN reported Tuesday.

Haiti's Deputy Attorney General Jean Serge Josephon said during the weekend he has determined his recommendation regarding bail for the American missionaries, charged with trying to take 33 children out of earthquake-ravaged Haiti without proper documentation. He had said he would file his recommendation Monday with Judge Bernard Saint-Vil, who will make a final decision on bail.

Haitian officials said a decision likely would be postponed until Wednesday.

The U.S. missionaries face charges of kidnapping and criminal association for trying to take 33 children out of Haiti after a 7-magnitude earthquake struck the nation Jan. 12.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Saturday the United States was awaiting word on the missionaries from Haitian authorities.

"The Haitian legal system continues to evaluate the charges against the 10 Americans," he said during the weekend. "And we have received no formal notification from the Haitian government as to resolution of this case. ... We're anxious to see the case resolved as quickly as possible. "