Dubai: A Jordanian has been arrested for selling his kidney in order to pay off his debts, local media reported.
The buyer, also an Arab, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for receving the kidney for JD12,000 (nearly $17,000).
The judicial body specialising in human trafficking cases has found the Arab man guilty of committing a human trafficking felony.
In March 2022 the Jordanian man was going through a tough financial situation. The man used to work as a sales representative, but due to a car accident, he was laid off from work after clients began asking him for the loan installments he owed. He could not pay any of them, so he thought of selling his kidney.
The Jordanian, through a social media platform, contacted the Arab, who in turn offered to buy the kidney for JD12,000 and to provide him with the total costs of travel and residence in a foreign country.
The man received the full amount in cash, and the operation was performed on his left kidney, which was removed. Upon his return to Jordan, he was arrested and later admitted that he sold his kidney because of his difficult financial situation, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
According to Article 9 of the Human Trafficking Law, whoever commits one of the human trafficking crimes shall be punished with temporary labor for a period not exceeding 10 years, and a fine of not less than JD5,000 and not more than JD20,000.
