Baby trafficking probe

February 7, 2012/ smh.com.au

HANOI. Laos is investigating a retired justice ministry official for allegedly selling adopted babies to Australians, Americans and Canadians. The official is accused of seeking out unwanted babies in poor rural areas, obtaining adoption papers and selling the infants to foreigners for up to $US5000 each, according to a Radio Free Asia report.

Laos has halted foreign adoptions pending the outcome of the investigation. ''Adopting a child for sale is a crime related to human trafficking, no question about it,'' a government official said.

The justice ministry is probing how the scam worked, including whether the birth parents sold their infants, which can constitute a human trafficking offence punishable by a three-to-five-year jail term, the official said.