Investigators of the investigation department of the city of Kyiv under the procedural guidance of the capital's prosecutor's office together with the border guards stopped activities of a large-scale criminal organization selling newborn babies to foreigners.
Two owners of private clinics, having recruited accomplices, looked for women in a difficult financial situation and offered to give birth to children from anonymous donors for money under the guise of surrogate motherhood. The birth certificate of the babies indicated the foreigner-customer, which later gave him legal grounds to take the child out of the country. The accomplices may spend the next 15 years behind bars.
Investigators of the Obolon Police Department, together with the employees of the Security Service of Ukraine, with the operational support of the State Border Service of Ukraine, under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv City and Obolon District Prosecutor's Offices, liquidated a large-scale criminal scheme of trafficking in babies.
According to Dmytro Shumeik, head of the National Police Headquarters in Kyiv, the criminal scheme was organized by two owners of private clinics in Kyiv and Kharkiv, who involved ten more accomplices in the "business" - a lawyer, a translator, a manager and medical staff.
"To implement the plan, those involved recruited Ukrainian women who were in a difficult financial situation. So, after looking for candidates for future surrogate mothers, they organized artificial insemination using the services of an anonymous donor. After being discharged from the clinic, the woman, accompanied by several persons involved, went to the State Public Service Center, where she indicated the foreign customer as the father, thereby entering false information into official documents, and gave permission for the child to travel abroad. In case of refusal, the perpetrators intimidated and threatened the women."
During the special operation, the law enforcement officers established that the suspects signed contracts with foreigners for the provision of their services, according to which the cost of the "services" was from 50 to 70 thousand euros. Instead, mothers in labor were promised 12 euros, but in most cases they were not paid.
During the registration of documents and another attempt to take out the newborn girl, the police detained the customer - a citizen of another state - in the city of Kharkiv.
"We know of at least 9 babies who were illegally taken out of our country. Now, in cooperation with foreign colleagues, we are determining the future fate of these children."
Law enforcement officers conducted more than 40 searches at the addresses of medical facilities in Kyiv and Kharkiv and at the places of residence of the suspects, as a result of which they seized computers, mobile phones, draft records, flash drives and medical documentation.
"Investigators of the Obolon police department have started criminal proceedings under the fourth part of Article 28 - commission of a criminal offense by an organized group of persons, the third part of Article 149 - human trafficking and the first and second parts of Article 255 - creation, management of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. All 12 persons involved were notified of the suspicion. They face imprisonment for a term of eight to fifteen years with or without confiscation of property," said the head of the capital branch.
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