Nicosia doctor arrested after newborn sold

By George Psyllides

A NICOSIA gynaecologist suspected of being involved in the sale of a three- day-old baby to a Greek couple was yesterday arrested.

The 37-old-man, who practices at a well-known Nicosia clinic, allegedly conspired with two other individuals in arranging the sale, police said.

According to police, the doctor arranged the arrival on the island of a Romanian woman who four days ago gave birth to a healthy boy by caesarean section.

Police said the suspect immediately handed the child over to a Greek couple who were allegedly present at the clinic, bypassing all legal adoption procedures.

Reports said the baby’s mother, who is married to a Romanian man, allegedly came to Cyprus to work as an artiste in a cabaret.

Police are looking into the possibility of an artiste agent also being involved in the case, since it has been reported the woman was seven months pregnant when she arrived on the island.

Police HQ CID Director Tasos Panayiotou remained tight-lipped yesterday but did not rule out further arrests.

The gynaecologist was arrested at 2pm.

Police last night issued a statement stressing that the owners of the clinic were not in any way involved in the case under investigation and were only renting space to the suspect.

Justice Minister Nicos Koshis said police, who had information about the alleged deal, had been watching the situation closely, and acted with utmost secrecy.

He said the Greek couple who were present at the clinic were going to try and pass the baby off as their own.

The baby boy is now under the care of the welfare office.

The suspect will be presented before the Nicosia district court today.

Police were now looking into the possibility of any similar cases taking place in the past and if an organised ring was behind the act

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.