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KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN gynaecologist who lives in Singapore has been accused of running a baby-selling racket in Johor.
Dr Robert Luk Tai Kong has been charged with cheating and forgery over the creation of false identities for the newborns, a report said yesterday.
He faced eight counts - two for each baby - in courts in southern Johor, the New Straits Times said.
Luk was also charged with using forged application forms to obtain the birth documents and for lying about the identity of the biological parents.
He pleaded not guilty to all the allegations, the newspaper said.
The 61-year-old gynaecologist was arrested last month by police who uncovered the baby-selling ring in Johor.
Four infants were seized in the raid and 23 people arrested, including clinic staff and a government registrar from the National Registration Department.
The syndicate reportedly bought babies from poor women who were talked out of having abortions, and then sold them to childless couples.
The couples allegedly paid up to RM20,000 (S$8,436) for a baby, depending on its race, while the birth mothers were paid as little as RM700, but given free health care and accommodation during their pregnancy.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Idham Abdul Ghani demanded bail of RM50,000 on two of the charges in one of the cases and for Luk's passport to be surrendered to the court.
Defence counsel R.K. Menon objected to the bail amount. He also asked that Luk be allowed to keep his passport because he did not have a place to stay in Johor Baru as he lived with his family in Singapore.
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