Kosovo medics accused of trafficking kidneys

EULEX prosecutor Jonathan Ratel has accused seven people, including doctors and a health official, of trafficking kidneys through the Medicus clinic in Pristina in 2008. Interpol arrest warrants have also been issued for a Turkish doctor, Yusuf Sonmez, and Israeli Moshe Harel. The suspects are accused of trafficking in human organs, organized crime, unlawful exercise of medical activities and abusing official authority.

The prosecution claims that one of the five Kosovo citizens, surgeon Lutfi Dervishi “acted as leader” of the criminal group along with Sonmez and Harel.

Some 20 foreign nationals "were recruited with false promises of payments" in 2008. Donors were promised up to 14,500 euros while recipients were required to pay between 80,000 and 100,000 euros. Donors came from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey and lived in "poverty or acute financial distress".

Kosovo has been haunted by another alleged case of organ-trafficking dating back to the war in 1999. In that case, which has never been proven, Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) militants allegedly trafficked the organs of Serb captives they later killed.