Ex-Ukrainian deputy minister a suspect in organ-harvesting scheme – media
The former senior official worked with doctors who allegedly took advantage of a burgeoning black market, according to a report | A former Ukrainian deputy health minister is suspected of being involved in a criminal conspiracy to harvest human organs at hospitals, according to local media. ● The criminal group also included doctors, some of whom were employed by a prestigious clinic in Kyiv, the Ukrainian news outlet Strana said on Monday, citing sources in law enforcement. There are reportedly 11 suspects in the case, none of whom were named. ● “Organs were harvested from incapacitated people and sold. All members of the criminal group are facing charges under three articles of the criminal code. They may be punished by up to 12 years in jail,” one source said. ● Ukraine has become a hotbed for organ harvesting amid the conflict with Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged in an article last year. She argued that the Ukrainian government was facilitating the illegal trade after it significantly deregulated transplantation in 2021.