The two children from eastern France who were abandoned in Portugal have returned to their home country and been handed over to relatives there.
The Colmar public prosecutor's office said on Saturday that the handover took place "under conditions that ensure their safety," French media reported.
The two boys, believed to be about 4 and 5 years old, reportedly arrived back in France on Friday. The public prosecutor also stated that no further information regarding the children’s care would be released.
The brothers were found on May 19 by a motorist, crying by the side of the road between Alcácer do Sal and the seaside resort of Comporta, around 100 kilometres south of Lisbon.
The mother and her partner were arrested two days later near Fátima in the centre of the country.
French authorities had been searching for the mother and the children since May 11, after the father reported their disappearance in Colmar.
The Portuguese authorities stated that the children had usually lived with their mother, while the father had only had limited and supervised access rights.
The mother, a 41-year-old French woman, was remanded in custody by the Portuguese courts and charged with “endangerment or abandonment,” as was her partner, a 55-year-old French man, who is also accused of “grievous bodily harm” against one of the two boys.
