SA cops hunt body-parts dealer

JOHANNESBURG – South African police are hunting a suspected Israeli mastermind behind a cash-for-kidney scandal involving top surgeons who performed more than 100 transplants two years ago, the local Sunday Times newspaper reported.

Ilan Perry, claimed to be the kingpin behind a syndicate that paid more than 100 Brazilian nationals to sell their kidneys, mainly to Israeli patients, is wanted by police after at least five prominent surgeons appeared in court on Wednesday. “Now he (Perry) is being sought by Project Investigation – a team set up by the police commercial crimes unit which this week brought top South African surgeons before a magistrate,” in the east coast port city of Durban.The paper said John Robbs, head of surgery at Durban’s prestigious Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, his deputy Ariff Haffejee, St Augustine’s hospital surgeon Mahadev Naidoo, and surgeons Neil Christopher and Kapil Satyapal were not formally charged or asked to plead and released on bail.- Nampa-AFP”Now he (Perry) is being sought by Project Investigation – a team set up by the police commercial crimes unit which this week brought top South African surgeons before a magistrate,” in the east coast port city of Durban.The paper said John Robbs, head of surgery at Durban’s prestigious Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, his deputy Ariff Haffejee, St Augustine’s hospital surgeon Mahadev Naidoo, and surgeons Neil Christopher and Kapil Satyapal were not formally charged or asked to plead and released on bail.- Nampa-AFP