XI'AN -?Four former officials of a hospital in northwest China's Shaanxi Province where an obstetrician trafficked seven babies went on trial Monday for dereliction of duty.

The four accused include former president of Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Wang Li, former deputy president Yao Junmin, former director of the department of obstetrics Gao Wenping and former administrator of the delivery rooms Si Xin, said Linwei District People's Court in the city of Weinan.

Zhang Yan, a procurator with the Linwei District People's Procuratorate said serious dereliction of duty by the four gave obstetrician Zhang Shuxia the opportunity to sell seven babies to human traffickers.

The court will announce the verdict at a later date.

On December 30, Zhang pleaded guilty to selling the babies to human traffickers after persuading their parents to give up their "sick" newborns. She is awaiting sentencing.

The obstetrician's involvement in baby trafficking was exposed in July, when a mother, surnamed Dong, suspected her newborn had been abducted. She reported the incident to police.

Zhang persuaded Dong and her husband to give up their boy after falsely claiming the child had a congenital disease, according to Weinan Intermediate People's Court. The baby was found in good condition in neighboring Henan Province on August 5.

Two twin baby girls were also rescued from neighboring Shanxi Province and Shandong Province in east China on August 10 after their mother, surnamed Wang, contacted police in Fuping.

Nine suspects, including Zhang, were detained in August.

Following the scandal, a deputy county governor, director and a deputy director of the county health bureau, and several hospital officials were dismissed from their posts.

In less than a month after the exposure of the scandal, police received reports of 55 similar infant trafficking cases, including 26 in which Zhang was allegedly involved. Police investigations found evidence in six of the 26 cases.

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