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Egypt prosecutors charge 11 in baby buying scheme
16 Jan 2009 22:31:22 GMT
 Source: Reuters
CAIRO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities have charged 11 people including two U.S. citizens of involvement in a scheme to buy four newborn Egyptian infants for illegal adoption, security sources said on Friday.

The sources said the two Americans were women, at least one of whom was of Egyptian origin. They were accused of taking part in purchasing the children for sums of up to 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($3,600) for a girl and 25,000 pounds for a boy, the sources said.

"We are aware of this investigation and it is led by the Egyptian authorities. We are cooperating fully," a U.S. embassy official said, but declined to give more information including whether U.S. citizens had been arrested or charged, citing privacy laws.

A statement by Egyptian prosecutors confirmed that 11 people were referred to a Cairo criminal court on charges of buying and selling Egyptian children "with the aim of adopting them, which is prohibited by law in Egypt".

The prosecution did not give the nationalities of those accused but said the charges included forging or fraudulently obtaining documents including birth certificates and passports to try to take the children out of the country.

Those charged include four doctors, two nurses and a tourist guide, the security sources said, adding that the U.S. embassy had alerted authorities to the case after becoming suspicious of one of the women during an embassy visit. The embassy could not immediately confirm that.

The sources said nine of the 11 people accused in the case were in Egyptian custody, including the two U.S. women.

Egypt's al-Masry al-Youm newspaper said that the children were sold via doctors at a private Egyptian hospital and several clinics, and Egypt's health ministry said it had closed the hospital.

Egypt does not generally allow its children to be adopted by foreign nationals, and it is also rare for Egyptians to gain permanent legal guardianship of children not born to their families due to social, religious and legal strictures. (Reporting by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Giles Elgood)


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