Belgian mum 'sold her newborns for liposuction'

London, Dec 14 (ANI): A Belgian has been accused of selling her two children to pay for a liposuction operation.

mother has been accused of selling newborn twin boys for œ9,000 to pay for cosmetic surgery.

Sonia Ringoir, a 31-year-old restaurant worker from the Belgian tourist haven of Ghent, was arrested and charged last week after her estranged husband revealed that she was selling her twin boys to a friend for 9,000 pounds, reports TimesOnline.

Marc Poppe, 48, revealed to an undercover reporter for Dutch television that Ringoir had sold the babies to a friend to fund liposuction - the fat removal procedure.

He said the couple had searched the internet to find a quick way of making money: "It was financially attractive to us. Of course we wouldn't do it for nothing."

Ringoir has been charged with "degrading treatment" of the twins - since Belgium has no law banning the sale of children.

She has also been charged with fraud after a Dutch couple alleged she had conned them by falsely offering to be a surrogate mother. If convicted, she could face between one month and five years in jail.

After spending five days in jail, Ringoir was released last Wednesday to await the results of police inquiries. She denied the allegations, claiming she gave her babies away for free last March to a friend who could not have her own child because of a weak heart. (ANI)