# suspected human egg-trafficking



## Anthony Reid (Jan 1, 2002)

Two Israeli gynaecologists were detained on Tuesday in Romania in a suspected human egg-trafficking case that has already led to three other arrests, the prosecutor's office said.

The two doctors were questioned for several hours on Tuesday, after which the prosecution decided to place them in detention for 24 hours.

"They are accused of human egg-trafficking, involvement in a criminal group and practising medicine without a permit," the chief prosecutor of Romania's organised crime department, Codrut Olaru, told AFP.

The two gynaecologists, who were banned from leaving the country last week, "did not have the required authorisation to practice in Romania," he added.

Romanian prosecutors last week arrested a father and son, also Israelis, who ran the Sabyc clinic in Bucharest, which specialises in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and plastic surgery.

They were accused of organising the trafficking of human eggs.

According to the prosecution, the suspects recruited Romanian women aged between 18 and 30 and paid them 800 to 1 000 lei (up to R2 700) for their eggs, which were given to couples seeking assisted fertilisation.

Health authorities also noted that the clinic was only authorised to carry out IVF treatments in mid-July, even though according to its website, it had performed over 2 000 in the past few years.

Most of its clients came from Israel, Italy and Britain, the website said.


----------

