EU judges indict two more over Kosovo organ harvesting

(PRISTINA) - European judges Friday said they indicted two more people and filed international arrest warrants for another two suspects over alleged illegal organ transplants at a private clinic in Kosovo.

"Five persons have been charged with offences of trafficking in human organs, organised crime and abusing official authority and two are charged with unlawful exercise of medical activities," EULEX, the European Union rule of law mission, said in a statement.

"Two more suspects are the subject of Interpol arrest warrants," it added.

Five people were indicted in the same case in October, including a senior official of the health ministry.

The case, which was discovered in November 2008 when police detained an Israeli national on suspicion of negotiating an illegal transplant in a Pristina clinic, "concerns the international trafficking of organs," the EULEX statement said.

The defendants include a number of doctors. According to EULEX the donors who sold their organs and the intended recipients were of different nationalities.

Kosovo media has reported that the donors who came from Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey were promised about 15,000 euros (22,500 dollars) for their organs, while recipients paid up to 100,000 euros for the organ and the entire procedure.

Radio Kosova reported that the seven indicted suspects are five citizens of Kosovo, one from Turkey and one from Israel.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 and is recognised by 71 countries, despite Belgrade's strong opposition.

The 3,000-member EULEX mission was launched in December 2008 to enforce the rule of law in the newly declared country and supervise its police, customs and judiciary.

EULEX has the the power to step in and take on cases that the local judiciary and police are unable to handle because of their sensitive nature.