Greece will definitely return Romani girl to Bulgaria

News server Novinky.cz reports that Greek authorities will be returning the little blonde girl named Maria, who was recently discovered living with a Romani family in the town of Farsala there, to her biological parents’ country, Bulgaria. DNA analyses have proven she is the daughter of another Romani couple there, Atanas and Sasha Rusev.

CNN reports that a foster family will care for Maria upon her return to Bulgaria. Sasha Rusev told the television station she wants her child back, but that probably will not happen, as Bulgarian authorities have removed her eight other children from her care after learning she had informally given Maria up for adoption when the family were living in Greece.

The entire Rusev family has been living in a one-room brick home in the town of Nikolejevo in central Bulgaria. Meanwhile, in Greece, Maria has been in the care of the "Children’s Smile" charity since police discovered her. 

Novinky.cz reports that the charity is now trying to take the other minor children from Maria’s Greek family into care. The organization reportedly claimed the couple has given up a child of theirs for informal adoption by a family "in another town".

Bulgarian police are also investigating the Rusevs on suspicion of selling Maria to the Greek Romani family. The father of that family, Christos Salis (age 39) reportedly told the court in Greece that when he was away from home for a few days in 2009, his wife called him to discuss taking in the Bulgarian couple’s unwanted infant and convinced him that they should do so.

Novinky.cz reported previously that the leader of the Romani camp in central Greece where Maria was found, Charalambos Dimitrou, had told the press that the Bulgarians had wanted EUR 1 000 for the little girl. Salis and his partner, Elefetria Dimopulu, are now being prosecuted in Greece for illegal adoption; the original charge of kidnapping has been dropped.

Novinky.cz also reported previously that the police chief in Farsala, Vasilis Halacis, said Dimopulu had obtained two separate official identities and had registered her children with authorities in several towns in order to receive welfare payments for them from more than one source. Dimopulu and Salis are also suspected of having forced Maria to beg.