Yusuf Sonmez, who has been accused of organized crime, organ trafficking and illegal surgeries on Serbs and people of other nationalities, is in the Netherlands, the newspaper “Vecernje Novosti” has learned from the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution Office. EULEX prosecutor Jonathan Ratel requested the issuance of a red Interpol warrant for the Turkish doctor, who has so far avoided extradition to the Kosovo authorities.
Sonmez was the main suspect in the case of illegal kidney transplants at the “Medicus” clinic, where he served as the chief surgeon and one of the leaders of a criminal group involved in such operations. He was arrested in January 2011 in Istanbul, but after a hearing, he was released on bail within 24 hours. The same year, in June, he gave an interview for “Vecernje Novosti,” explaining that “he lives normally and is not afraid to be arrested.” He also stated that he was “not involved in any human organ trafficking” and that he “will not surrender to Kosovo institutions because they are corrupt.”
According to Vladimir Vukcevic, the Serbian war crimes prosecutor, after 2011, Sonmez lived in South Africa. But he recently disappeared without a trace. As “Vecernje Novosti” learned from the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution, Sonmez has now been found in the Netherlands.
Sonmez’s notorious gang was also led by Mosa Harel (arrested in May 2012 in Israel) and the owner of the “Medicus” medical facility, Lutvi Dervishi.
The “Medicus case” first surfaced in 2008. Later, the special rapporteur of the Council of Europe, Dick Marty, mentioned the same case in his 2010 report.
