Probe launched following allegations of illegal adoptions

A prosecutor in the northern port city of Thessaloniki has ordered a preliminary investigation into allegations in Greek media reports of an illegal adoption ring operating in Albania and Greece.

The allegations in the media came in the wake of the arrest this week in Albania of a 59-year-old man for the double murder on New Year's Eve in Tirana of two sisters whom he had coerced over previous years to get pregnant and give birth in Greek maternity clinics.

The Greek investigation will examine the specific allegations of illegal adoptions and whether there is an organized ring involved.

According to media reports, more than 10 children were born in Greek maternity hospitals and sold for a fee with the help of a lawyer who is apparently no longer alive.

The suspect told investigators in Albania that the motive for the killings was his...