The defendants were accused of arranging the deal which netted them about $35,000 and for duping the teen into allowing doctors to remove one of his kidneys. One of the defendants, He Wei, said the boy voluntarily agreed to the surgical procedure and because of that he didn’t break any laws, according to the BBC.
Mr. He apparently wanted the money to pay off gambling debts.
Local officials launched a criminal investigation last year after a 17 year old boy’s mother discovered he had sold his kidney in exchange for money to buy his new iPhone and iPad. The operation was performed in the 198 Hospital in Chenzhou, and subsequently lead to renal failure — a facility that wasn’t qualified to perform organ transplants.
The boy admitted to selling his kidney, and eventually authorities were able to track down the suspects and charge them with arranging the deal.
The iPad-toting youth won’t be attending the trial because he’s too sick to travel.