Eight arrested in Crete over surrogacy and IVF fraud

Greek police have arrested eight people accused of running illegal commercial surrogacy operations from a fertility clinic in Chania, Crete.

Since the arrests, several babies have been born to surrogates associated with the clinic. They are being cared for at a Crete hospital, and the intended parents, at least some of whom are Australian, have not been allowed to see them.

'I understand the Greek authorities are undertaking a full and comprehensive investigation into the Mediterranean Fertility Institute and its operations' wrote Alison Duncan, the Australian ambassador to Greece. 'I hope for a speedy resolution of this issue for all the Australian families who have been unwittingly caught up in this grave situation.'

Greek law allows altruistic gestational surrogacy based on a written agreement and authorised by a court before conception. The Greek National Authority for Assisted Reproduction (NAMAR) allows surrogates to claim reimbursement for 'reasonable' expenses such as medical care and lost earnings, but commercial surrogacy, including advertisement and brokerage, is illegal.

The clinic has been under investigation by the Greek police's organised crime department since December 2022. They charged intended parents €70,000-120,000  with surrogates receiving approximately €18,000.

Not all details of the case are publicly available, but the investigation has turned up at least 182 charges of exploitation of vulnerable women. Most of the surrogates and egg donors seem to have been from Ukraine and eastern Europe, and lived in properties rented by the clinic. Around 30 such women, some pregnant, were found by the police.

The investigation also found evidence of more than 400 sham IVF treatments.

Out of the eight people arrested, four remain in custody, including the clinic's director and embryologist. All eight are facing charges including human trafficking, violations of assisted reproduction legislation, forgery, falsification of medical data, and fraud.

The chair of NAMAR, Professor Nikolaos Vrachnis was removed from his post by the health minister Michalis Chrysochoidis. Professor Vrachnis will have to answer charges of breach of duty and bribery in relation to the events in Chania.