Alleged human organ seller could be rearrested after remand order expired today

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The suspect being led away by police officers at the Kuching Court Complex today. – Picture by Hafizah Abdul Hamid

KUCHING (Aug 26): The alleged Sarawakian human organ trafficker, who was exposed by a British tabloid released, has been released by the Magistrate’s Court here today as his remand order had expired.

However, it was learnt that the police could rearrest the suspect for further investigation.

The police is expected to issue a statement on the matter later today.

Kuching Court assistant registrar Aida Montong had released the 48-year-old suspect after he was remanded for a total of 12 days.

The man had surrendered himself to the police here on Aug 13 and was initially given a seven-day remand order, which was extended by another five days after it had expired.

The police had investigated the man under Section 15 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

The Sun, in its report Aug 8, detailed how its reporter – pretending to be a kidney buyer for a relative in the United Kingdom who needed a transplant – met with the father-of-four at a hotel here.

During the meeting, which was captured on video, the local man said he had been selling organs since 2010 but began using Facebook two years ago to lure poverty-stricken victims from around the world to sell their organs to desperate patients.

The report also said the man bragged about having more than ‘100 potential people willing to sell their kidneys,’ and that his fee included bribes for a clinic in Manila, Philippines to perform the operations.

The tabloid said that the man initially charged a fee of 55,000 pounds (RM301,500) for supplying the kidney and an additional 65,000 pounds (RM356,300) for payment to the clinic. However, he dropped the total fee to 85,000 pounds (RM466,000).

The Sun’s report also claimed that global transplant tourism is a one-billion pound industry.