They Cross Morocco with Their Baby, Spain Suspects These French Nationals Bought Him
A French couple is stranded in Ceuta after crossing Morocco with their seven-month-old baby. Spanish authorities have taken the child away from them, suspecting that the baby may have been purchased in Morocco. But the story put forward by the parents could completely overturn the case.
The 55-year-old woman and her 65-year-old husband usually live in France. According to judicial sources cited by El Pueblo de Ceuta, she is believed to have undergone artificial insemination at a specialized clinic in Barcelona before giving birth several months later in Tunisia, her country of origin.
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The couple then traveled with the child from Tunisia to Morocco. On July 30, at the height of the mass entries into Ceuta, the two French nationals reached the city through the Tarajal area. Their journey aroused the suspicions of the Spanish authorities, particularly because no record of their crossing from Tunisia into Morocco was reportedly found in the border checks.
The parents were arrested and then released under the status of persons under investigation. Their baby, meanwhile, was placed under the protection of the services responsible for minors. Investigators notably suspect that the couple may have “bought the baby” in Morocco. The case also concerns possible offenses involving child trafficking, false declaration of birth and document forgery, as well as the risk to which the child may have been exposed during the irregular crossing into Ceuta.
Documents that could change everything
The most serious accusation could nevertheless collapse if the parents manage to document their version of events. In particular, they must provide evidence relating to the insemination carried out in Spain, the monitoring of the pregnancy and the baby’s birth in Tunisia. According to the newspaper’s judicial sources, these documents could lead to several of the main charges being dropped.
In the meantime, the couple refuses to leave Ceuta without their child. Their lawyer has asked that they at least be allowed to visit the baby at the center where the child is being cared for, under the supervision of psychologists and specialized professionals. The public prosecutor’s office has suspended visits for the time being.
The wait could last several more weeks. The two French nationals must finance their stay in Ceuta while obtaining documents in France, Tunisia and Spain, a process made more complicated by the slowdown in judicial and administrative activity in August. The investigation is being conducted notably by the Guardia Civil’s unit against organized crime and narcotics and by the judicial police.
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The case now largely rests on these documents. If they confirm that the French woman was indeed inseminated in Barcelona and then gave birth to the child in Tunisia, the sensational suspicion that a baby was bought in Morocco could give way to a very different story: that of parents whose unusual journey to Ceuta triggered an especially extensive investigation.
