Seven named as suspects in international organ trafficking network

A EUROPEAN UNION prosecutor has named seven people as suspects in an international organ trafficking network.

The indictment is the starkest revelation of the extent of organised crime in Kosovo since the country declared independence in 2008.

In the document, EU prosecutor Jonathan Ratel said that “the organised criminal group” trafficked persons into Kosovo for the purpose of removing “human organs for transplant to other persons”. It added that the investigation found that some 20 foreign nationals “were recruited with false promises of payments” in 2008.

“These victims were recruited in other countries, then transported and received at Pristina Airport through the false promise of payments for the removal of their kidneys,” Ratel said in the indictment. He said victims were promised up to €14,500 while recipients were required to pay between €110,000-€137,000.

According to the indictment obtained by the AP, the victims came from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey and lived in “extreme poverty or acute financial distress”.

Five Kosovo nationals, including Ilir Rrecaj, a former senior health ministry official, have been charged with five counts, ranging from trafficking in persons to unlawful exercise of medical activity and abuse of power. None of the suspects are in custody.

Two internationals – Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez and Moshe Harel, an Israeli citizen – are listed as wanted by Interpol. Sonmez is the subject of criminal proceedings in other countries, including Turkey, for human trafficking and removal of organs, according to the indictment.

A hearing is expected to be held by the end of the month, officials said.