Kidnapped or not: No guarantee that children are returned to parents
Paid article
Kidnapped or not: No guarantee that children are returned to parents
ADOPTION FRAUD IN CONGO (FINAL) FLOORING RE LOOKING ALL FILES ORPHANAGE
Author
TEXT: KURT WERTELAERS
PHOTOS: THE BENOIT FREINE
Published
today, 03u00
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Benoit The Freine
The federal prosecutor wants to reconsider all Belgian adoptions through the embattled Congo Tumaini orphanage in Kinshasa. At least three adoptions - that of Samira, Zakiatu and Jaelle - are fraudulent, because the 'orphans' have biological parents. For them there anyway there is a review of the adoption procedure. Though that does not mean that the children may return to their biological parents.
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Benoit The Freine
Het federal prosecutor intends to put all adoptions that were regulated by Tumaini orphange under scrutiny. There were eleven in 2015, but Tumaini organises through the Belgian-Congolese Julienne Mpemba from Namur since 2012 adoptions for our country.
In three cases, there is already talk of identity fraud. The girls Samira, Zakiatu and Jaelle had different names and different birth dates in the orphanage before they came, here to unsuspecting adoptive parents. Moreover, they were not even orphans. All three have biological parents still alive in Gemena 850 kilometers from Kinshasa. The children were two years ago, in May 2013, removed under the guise of a 'holiday camp'. They never returned. Human rights organizations suspect that more children were abducted and traded through the Tumaini orphanage. How much is unclear. In their dossiers exists amounts to $ 30,000 or 27,500 Euros for a child. For a good understanding: the adoptive parents were never informed of the abuses and wanted only to give an orphan a better life.
procedures followed
The federal prosecutor conducts research and holds the 40-year old Julienne Mpemba already responsible for the trade. The woman lives in Namur, in a building on the banks of the Meuse. We wanted to talk to her, but she sent her lawyer, Georges Balon-Perin in. "We prefer to keep our comments for the justice," said the lawyer. "But I can tell you that my client denies all allegations and I would ask you to handle with caution what you have heard in Kinshasa." The lawyer did his best, but could not prevent Julienne Mpemba to say what wanted to say. "For five years I handled the adoption of children! Five years! Thirty, maybe forty children in total. And never there have been problems. And those three girls? Yes, something happened with the identities, but I have nothing to do with it. Anyone who says that this is so, is lying. The human rights organizations, who lie. Those youth organization who brought the children: they lie. Everybody lies, I never faked anything. I have not done anything, My Name will be cleaned "
Adoption centers say or that there is" no evidence of irregularities "in the other cases, but how certain other adoptive parents are? Mpemba If we ask the question, she slams the door. At the Ministry of the French Community, where Didier Dehou 'director Adoption' is answer forthcoming. "Given the inquest, we answer any question from the media," he says via email. Rachid Madrane (PS), Minister of Youth in the French community government responds. "We have heard that a number of adopted orphans had biological parents are shocked," he says. "This is a dramatic situation for the children, the adoptive parents and the biological parents." Madrane says he - has ordered an internal investigation into his administration to determine whether errors have occurred - following the inquest. "This research has shown that all procedures and rules were respected," is his decision.
Searches
That's fast, because the federal prosecutor is still doing investigation. "We raided and searches were done on the government and the administration," said Eric Van Der Sijpt of the federal prosecutor. "There is material and documents seized and computers are unraveled. We interviewed four people involved, yet there is no one under suspicion. But the study course is still ongoing. "
As for Samira, Zakiatu and Jaelle - three girls and orphans arrived here when in reality they have biological parents - it will now go quickly. In early June there are 'civil matters' initiated for the revision of the adoption. This is a procedure that is required if there has been an adoption, for which it turns out that there still were biological parents. The adoptions are then reconditioned and - with sufficient evidence - undone. That still does not mean that the child should return to his or her parents. A family court decides on this, but can perfectly decide that it is in everyone's interest that the child remains with the adoptive parents. In these cases, it is not unthinkable.
extremely naive
Julienne Mpemba (40) is now officially under suspicion of trafficking, with the aggravating circumstance that it is about child victims. She is also under suspicion of forgery and use of false documents. When the trial follows is not known yet.
In Kinshasa is since since ten days Dieumerci K. in prison. He is a member of the youth organization Planète Junior that took the children Samira, Zakiatu, Jaelle and the boy Jacques two years ago from Gemena to Kinshasa. He himself says that he - and his organization - were tricked by Julienne Mpemba that the children would have offered only a holiday. The chance that the extremely naive Dieumerci K. was indeed used by a network in which highly placed played a role, is not non-existent. The question is whether the Congolese government soon will clean their own place or prefer to have K to pay for by all.
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