Galery

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4-year-old fair-haired and green-eyed Maria, who was found in the gypsy camp in the town of Farsala near Larissa, is the child of Bulgarian gypsies as stated by deputy chairman of the Gypsy union Marios Stainopoulous on SKAI TV. She was born in Athens on 31 January 2009. Her biological parents lived in Greece. A second witness, also of Roma origin, has confirmed this information before the investigator as well.

Babis Dimitriou, chairman of the Roma union in Farsala, said that the child’s real parents had also lived in Farsala but they had disappeared on the day when the police had found fair-haired Maria. Most likely, they are either in Pelasgia or on the island of Evia at present. According to Dimitriou, the Bulgarian Roma had given Maria to the Greek family when she was 15 days old because they had five more children but, over all these years, they had been visiting her on a regular basis.

Babis Dimitriou also said that Bulgarian and Albanian gypsies had come to him in person, trying to sell to him children for 1,000 euro. The Greek police have requested the prosecutors to allow them to investigate the phone calls made to and from the false parents’ phones. Meanwhile, more than seven countries have sent DNA samples to determine whether Maria is the child of parents who are searching for their missing children.

According to To Vima newspaper the Greek police are investigating three channels of illegal adoptions of children the traces of which reach the Bulgarian towns of Nova Zagora, Yambol, Bourgas and Varna.

In parallel with the search for the real parents and for the truth in little fair-haired Maria’s story, another equally important story is underway that is connected with the issue of false birth certificates and false tax numbers, which the poor gypsy family had easily obtained. A new bill imposes very strict rules regarding the issuance of such documents, including the conduct of DNA testing for children born outside maternity wards as announced by Deputy Minister of the Interior Leonidas Grigorakos.

Meanwhile, the Greek police have launched raids in the gypsy neighbourhoods of Menidi and Zefiri in Athens.

Photos: Naftemporiki newspaper

Maria: I'm happy

Kathimerini newspaper has published an interview with the director of the "Smile of the Child" foundation, Costas Yiannospoulous, in which he says that little Maria is in great health and spirits, she has been temporarily hospitalized and professionals and psychologists from the foundation have been taking care of her. Kathimerini newspaper has published photos of the child before her placement in the custody of the foundation and after.

According to specialists, the child is more than 4 years old, as initially believed. An examination by a paediatrician and a dentist has determined that her age is between 5 and 6 years.

To be continued