8 Croatians in Zambia face new charges of child trafficking
Feb 7, 2023, 4:15 PM | Updated: Feb 8, 2023, 6:37 am
Eight Croatian nationals charged with attempting to traffic children, outside the magistrates court in Ndola, Zambia, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. The 8 have pleaded not guilty to the charge of child trafficking before a magistrate. (AP Photo/Salim Dawood)
(AP Photo/Salim Dawood)
LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Eight Croatians rearrested in Zambia will face new charges of child trafficking and are expected to appear in court on Thursday, a Zambian official announced.
Earlier this week a court dropped child trafficking charges against the eight — four couples — and ordered them to leave the country within 48 hours. But when they tried to fly out of Zambia they were rearrested.
The eight were “detained pending prosecution on reconstituted charges but still related to attempted child trafficking,” Zambian immigration spokesman Namati Nshinka said in a statement.
They are likely to appear in court again on Thursday, Nshinka said.
They are charged with trafficking four children from Congo, aged between one and three years, said the statement.
On Monday a court dismissed child trafficking charges against them following applications by their lawyers. They had earlier pleaded not guilty.
The charges alleged that on December 7, last year, the four couples acted together to traffic the children. The Croatians said they adopted the children through a lawyer.
The eight include Zoran Subosic, 52, a guitarist in a well-known band Hladno Pivo, or Cold Beer, and Immovic Subosic, 41, an administrator, according to Croatian media. Others include Damir Magic, 44, an electrical technician, Nadic Magic, 45, a technician, Ladislav Persic, 42, a medical doctor, Aleksandra Persic, 43, a hair salon attendant, Noah Kraljevic, 40, a program director and Ivona Kraljevic, 36, a dog handler.
No statement has been made about who is taking care of the young children who were to be adopted.
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