Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

===Illegal child adoption scheme in Portugal===
In December 2017, the Portuguese UCKG was accused of running an illegal child adoption network.  Children were allegedly taken from their biological mothers and illegally taken to  foreign countries for adoption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/sociedade/iurd/o-segredo-dos-deuses-tvi-revela-trafico-internacional-de-criancas-em-portugal |title="O Segredo dos Deuses": TVI revela rede de adoções ilegais de crianças da IURD em Portugal |language=pt |trans-title=The secrets of the gods: TVI reveals illegal child adoption network of Portuguese UCKG|website=Tvi24.iol.pt |date=11 December 2017 |access-date=11 December 2017}}</ref> The investigation continued {{As of|2018|4|lc=y}}; the Portuguese judicial authorities had by then ruled that children were not taken illegally from their parents, but that there were indications of crime in the subsequent process of adoption.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://observador.pt/2018/04/07/iurd-justica-nega-rede-de-adocao-ilegal-ou-irregularidades-na-retirada-das-criancas-aos-pais/|title=IURD. Justiça nega rede de adoção ilegal ou 'irregularidades na retirada das crianças aos pais'|trans-title=UCKG. Judicial authorities deny illegal adoption network or "irregularities in the withdrawal of children from parents"|last=Correia|first=Gonçalo|website=Observador|date=7 April 2018|language=pt-PT|access-date=2018-04-07}}</ref>

In May 2019, the [[Public Prosecution Service (Portugal)|Public Prosecutor's Office]] determined the termination of investigative procedures, deeming the absence of grounds for any prosecution.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/ministerio-publico-arquiva-inquerito-a-adocao-ilegal-de-criancas-pela-iurd_n1148351|title=Ministério Público arquiva inquérito à adoção ilegal de crianças pela IURD|publisher=Rádio e Televisão de Portugal|agency=Agência Lusa|language=pt|date=2019-05-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.publico.pt/2019/05/18/sociedade/noticia/ministerio-publico-arquiva-inquerito-adopcao-ilegal-criancas-iurd-1873180|title=Ministério Público arquiva inquérito à adopção ilegal de crianças pela IURD|website=PÚBLICO|language=pt|date=2019-05-18}}</ref> The Prosecutors' Office stated that the foster care homes belonging to the UCKG were legally constituted and operated, further confirming the legality of the institutionalization proceedings carried out before the national legal entities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sol.sapo.pt/artigo/658734/arquivado-inquerito-a-adocao-ilegal-de-criancas-pela-iurd|title=Arquivado inquérito à adoção ilegal de crianças pela IURD|website=Semanario SOL|date=18 May 2019 |language=pt|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref> No criminal proceedings were carried out by the Prosecutors' Office regarding the adoption of institutionalized children.

Following the termination, the Public Prosecutor's Office has since carried out criminal proceedings for false testimony against two mothers of some of the adopted children. Both mothers issued statements in a public television report, as well as before a court, under oath. One claimed that she had not signed any court documents to authorize any adoption proceedings, while the other stated that she was never notified by the court, or by any other means, of her children's adoption, saying that she had never signed any notification of said adoptions - both claimed that their signatures had been forged and wrongfully submitted in court, in order for the adoptions to proceed. However, subsequent forensic inspections, carried out by the Prosecutors' Office, then indicated that the mothers had indeed signed the court documents regarding their children's adoptions,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sabado.pt/portugal/seguranca/detalhe/pj-contraria-versoes-de-maes-biologicas-da-iurd-sobre-assinaturas|title=PJ contraria versões de mães biológicas da IURD sobre assinaturas|website=www.sabado.pt|language=pt-pt|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cmjornal.pt/sociedade/detalhe/assinaturas-das-maes-biologicas-em-causa-nas-adocoes-da-iurd|title=Assinaturas das mães biológicas em causa nas adoções da IURD|website=www.cmjornal.pt|language=pt-PT|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref> deeming the respective procedures as lawful. Both women currently await trial for false testimony.

One mother has since confessed that she had indeed received and signed a court notification regarding her sons' adoption, claiming, before the court, that her false allegations of signature forgery were instigated by a journalist from Portuguese broadcast channel "[[Televisão Independente|TVI]]", whilst further stating the falsehood of her previous accusations to the UCKG.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://expresso.pt/sociedade/2019-11-07-Mae-que-acusou-IURD-de-lhe-roubar-dois-filhos-pede-desculpa-em-tribunal|title=Mãe que acusou IURD de lhe roubar dois filhos pede desculpa em tribunal|agency=Agência Lusa|website=Jornal Expresso|language=pt-PT|date=2019-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://observador.pt/2019/11/07/mae-que-acusou-iurd-de-lhe-roubar-dois-filhos-pede-desculpa-em-tribunal/|title=Mãe que acusou IURD de lhe roubar dois filhos pede desculpa em tribunal|agency=Agência Lusa|website=Observador|language=pt-PT|date=2019-11-07}}</ref>

According to the mother's allegations, journalist Alexandra Borges instigated her to state that she had not signed any adoption papers or notifications, in exchange for reuniting her with her estranged sons.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dn.pt/pais/mae-que-acusou-iurd-de-lhe-roubar-dois-filhos-assume-que-inventou-historia-falsa-11487739.html|title=Mãe que acusou IURD de lhe roubar dois filhos assume que inventou história falsa|newspaper=Diario de Notícias|agency=Agência Lusa|language=pt|date=2019-11-07}}</ref>