Newborn Ukrainians were sold abroad – the actions of a criminal organization are revealed

Ukrainian law enforcers have exposed a large-scale scheme for the sale of babies and their transportation abroad under the guise of surrogate motherhood.

As the investigation established, there are 12 people in the criminal organization: 2 co-organizers and 10 participants. The organizers of the scheme occupied high positions – these are the heads of medical clinics providing services in the field of reproductive medicine in the Ukrainian capital and Kharkiv. The members of the group are administrators, managers of these clinics and a lawyer.

Under the guise of a surrogate motherhood program, they sold newborn babies to foreigners who are not married couples in the understanding of Ukrainian law and live in states where surrogate motherhood is prohibited at the legislative level.

Members of the group actively searched for female egg donors in the Kharkiv region and those women who, due to financial difficulties, decided to become surrogate mothers for foreign citizens.

The amount of monetary rewards for participants in the criminal scheme ranged from 50 to 70 thousand euros for each newborn child. At the same time, surrogate mothers received approximately 12 thousand euros.

After the birth of the baby, the surrogate mother gave permission for the child to move abroad and consent for him to obtain citizenship of another country. If certain terms of the contract were disputed later by the mother of the baby, threats and intimidation were applied to her. However, she received less money than previously envisaged.

During the investigation, the facts of illegal transfer of 8 babies abroad were established and an attempt was made to take another child abroad during martial law. More than forty searches were carried out at the addresses of the suspects, in clinics and offices, during which the following were seized:

• medical documentation;
• copies of passports of citizens of Ukraine and other countries;
• power of attorney to represent interests;
• cash;
• laptops, mobile phones, flash drives;
• draft notes.

The analysis of the seized documentation and its systematization continues. Information about about forty facts of illegal transfer of newborn children from Ukraine abroad is being checked.

Currently, the issue of choosing a measure of restraint for the suspects is being decided. writes UP edition.

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