Illegal Adoption to be Heard in Court Again

Volgograd Regional Court is getting ready to again hear the case of Nadezhda Fratti, citizen of Italy. N. Fratti has been charged with bribing officials and documents’ forgery to accelerate adoption of Russia’s children by the foreigners.

Following the appeal of Ms Fratti’s lawyers, Presidium of the Supreme Court of Russia has sent back her case to Volgograd due to the procedures’ violations, said representatives of the Volgograd Region’s prosecutors. The date of the first session has not been set yet.

On December 30, 2002, the Volgograd Regional Court sentenced Nadezhda Fratti, citizen of Russia and Italy, to be put on parole for seven years with five-year residence in Volzhsky-town, the Volgograd Region, where she had last lived. Nadezhda Fratti was found guilty in bribing the officials and forgery of documents which she had done to speed up adoption.

Simultaneously, Antonina Tekucheva, head physician at Mikhailovsky house of baby care, Tatyana Chaplina, former head of Kirovsky children’s home in Volgograd, Valentina Gerusova, former expert of the region’s education committee, were accused of bribetaking and found guilty.