Chania: Two more arrests for the doctor circuit with illegal baby adoptions

Handcuffs to two more gynecologists passed authorities to , as they are accused of participating in illegal adoptions of infants and trafficking in human beings. So far, the investigation of the authorities on the circuit of illegal adoptions of infants in Chania has shown that members of the assisted breeding clinic in Chania have been involved in at least 529 cases of virtual embryo transfers, 65 thefts and illegal trafficking of genetic material and 274 women have been deceived, from which they made profits exceeding 8.5 million euros. CORVERSE After several months of research, the city’s investigator issued a warrant for the two doctors. One of them had been arrested on 12 August 2023 along with the rest alleged to be members of the circuit but was then released as he argued that he was working as an external partner with the clinic. From the investigation carried out by the organized crime agency, the immediate synergy of this gynecologist arose in all actions of the circuit. According to the same means, the immediate involvement of another cooperating gynecologist whose private office is not located in Chania has emerged. CORVERSE The second case-file formed at the expense of the circuit, concerns at least 18 people and within the next period is expected to prosecute the alleged leaders, according to zarpanews. “brain” of the circuit is considered the clinic embryologist who has already filed a request for temporary detention and was expected to be released in a few days after the completion of the 18 month for the first case. Both the embryologist and the gynecologist, the owner of the clinic, were called in the last few days to the Inquisitor of Chania to provide additional testimony for the second case. According to these developments, the releases of those imprisoned for the case have remained on the “air”. The time members of the organization who took advantage of the need for couples from Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki to have a child, lied to women that they were embryonically transferred or that they kept genetic material in the cryo-preservation bank to make profits. To convince their victims, they were given false assurances. A typical example of the great fraud was that of a couple, in which they proposed the transfer of embryos with genetic material of the couple and with donor genetic material during the same embryo transfer cycle, so that the biological identity of the child to be born was not perceived. Apart from these, members of the circuit are accused of trafficking in 75 people through the illicit trafficking of genetic material cells and tissues (ovs-sperm), while donors or recipients were in complete ignorance. In 2 cases, the creation of embryos from the same woman and semen of the same man, with this identified genetic material, has been established in two different pairs. The gynecologists at the same time violated the legislation on the donation of hours. Of the handwritten records examined, 173 donor ova emerged, which were subjected to 333 different ovaries and their ova were distributed to 1,226 different recipients while most of them are not listed in the National donor register. The remuneration of the fertility centre started at 1,300 euros and reached 7,000 euros per pair, as appropriate. It is estimated that the benefit of this centre from at least 1,226 distributions of genetic material to recipient pairs is between EUR 1,593,800 and EUR 8,582,800. Arrested persons were taken to the competent prosecutor.