Scandal in reproductive medicine: heads of private clinic are suspected of attempted child trafficking
24 October 20:19
The Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office has served a notice of suspicion to the co-owner of a private reproductive medicine clinic and the facility’s manager. According to the investigation, they tried to transfer a baby from a surrogacy program to foreigners, despite the lack of genetic connection, and did not hand the child over to the guardianship authorities, as required by law, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.
It all started when a couple from China came to Kyiv to use surrogacy services at a private clinic. The surrogate mother gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. To formalize the paternity, a genetic examination was conducted: it confirmed the man’s relationship with the boy only. The girl was not biologically his child.
Despite these results, the clinic’s representatives, according to the prosecutor’s office, helped the foreigners obtain paternity recognition through the court and take both children. When it became clear that this was impossible, the couple returned to China with their son. The girl, according to the investigation, was temporarily left with a nanny in a rented apartment in Kyiv by the clinic’s managers, pending a positive court decision.
Juvenile prosecutors of the Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office notified two clinic officials of suspicion of
- unfinished attempted trafficking in a minor child (part 3 of Article 15, part 3 of Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)
- illegal mediation in the adoption (Part 2 of Article 169 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation believes that, knowing that there was no genetic link, the defendants still tried to give the child to foreigners who paid for the birth of two children. In addition, they did not transfer the girl to state custody, although this is what they were supposed to do according to the procedure when a child has no legal representatives.
The newborn is currently in an orphanage. Law enforcement officers are identifying her biological parents and investigating the circumstances of the birth of a twin baby without a relationship to the alleged father.
It is worth noting that Ukraine remains one of the few markets in Europe where commercial surrogacy is allowed for foreign couples. That is why transparent protocols of interaction between clinics and guardianship authorities, a strict audit of the chain “contract – medical procedure – birth registration”, as well as real responsibility for violations are critically needed at the national level.
Thus, in January 2025, the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), together with the Investigation Department of the Obolon Police Department in Kyiv and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, exposed a large-scale criminal scheme involving the illegal sale of newborn children abroad.
The organizers were the owners of private medical clinics in Kyiv and Kharkiv, who acted in collusion with lawyers, translators and medical staff.
The criminal group used surrogacy programs as a cover. Women in difficult life circumstances were offered 12 thousand euros to participate in these programs. After the birth of their children, they were forced to provide false information for registration, renounce motherhood in favor of foreign citizens, and allow the export of their newborns abroad.
the “cost” of each child on the black market ranged from 50 to 70 thousand euros.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers found significant assets belonging to members of the criminal organization. Among them:
- 24 real estate objects;
- 9 land plots
- 10 vehicles;
- cash in the amount of UAH 2.5 million
- 4 intellectual property items.
In addition, the criminals opened bank accounts in different countries, regularly changed their places of residence and traveled to luxury resorts around the world.
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