Corriere.it: Belgium: Scientology in troubleThe Belgian federal prosecutor has decided to sue the Church of Scientology, he suspects many years of being a "criminal organization" particularly guilty of fraud and illegal practice of medicine, reported Friday Belgian press. According to the Dutch newspaper De Tijd and its French equivalent Echo, federal prosecutors just send "subpoenas" to Belgian officials of the Church of Scientology, after six years of investigation. [more]
AtlasInfo: Belgium: the Church of Scientology suedBRUSSELS - Scientology and 'criminal organization and its holy men of scammers: so' the Belgian prosecution after an investigation lasting six years and 'ready to sue the Belgian branch office of the sect Use, which operates in the country since 1974 and 'head financial and logistics of all European subsidiaries. The prosecutor accused the leaders of Scientology 'aggravated fraud, extortion, illegal practice of medical care, invasion of privacy'. The subpoenas are ready to be issued.
The Belgian federal prosecutor has decided to sue the Church of Scientology, he suspects many years of being a "criminal organization" particularly guilty of fraud and illegal practice of medicine, reported Friday Belgian press.
According to the Dutch newspaper De Tijd and its French equivalent Echo, federal prosecutors just send "subpoenas" to Belgian officials of the Church of Scientology, after six years of investigation. The spokesman for the prosecutor and the Church of Scientology were not immediately available to confirm the information.
According to the two newspapers, the organization and two of its senior executives will also meet various offenses in the Act on the Protection of Privacy and extortion. [more]
RTBF network.(Belgian television) report in French with English subtitles added. The original report aired on December 28, 2012. After several years of investigation, the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office has decided to launch court proceedings against the Church of Scientology of Belgium as a "criminal organization." (thanks mnql1)
RT: Losing faith? Belgium to charge Church of Scientology with fraud and extortion
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After a long lasting legal battle Belgium prosecutors demand to label the Church of Scientology as a criminal organization and charge it and its leaders with extortion, fraud, privacy breaches, and the illegal practice of medicine.
The subpoenas have been sent to the scientologists, the local financial newspaper De Tijd reported. The charges against the Church of Scientology stem from employment contracts issued to recruit volunteers and members allegedly breaching the country's strict employment laws. In Belgium as in some other countries Scientology is not recognized as a faith.
In 2008 the Belgium Labor Mediation Service complained about number of labor contracts, prompting an investigation. A judge then ordered raids on Scientology premises where police allegedly “managed to seize a wealth of evidence,” that the organization had spied on and extorted money from its members, the Flanders News reported. [more]
Infinite Complacency: Belgian Prosecutors make their move (finally)
Federal prosecutors in Belgium have charged Scientology's Belgian operation and two leading executives with fraud and extortion among other offences. And it looks like they have learned from the Paris convictions. It took a few years, but the wheels appear to be moving in Belgium. Federal prosecutors have charged the Church of Scientology there with a range of offences, more than four years after police raided their Brussels offices. Two senior executives with the movement have also been charged. This is the list of charges, according to Belgian media reports:
• illegal practice of medicine
• fraud
• extorsion
• forgery and use of false documents
• violation of privacy
• criminal organisation
continued @ Jonny Jacobsen's Infinite Complacency
The mention of "This is a new stage of an investigation" in that last article is big point glossed over in the recent coverage.
ReplyDeleteScientology's trouble first started in Belgium with the first raid in 1999 and the initial stage of the investigation led to a cult classification that Scientologists tried to fight in 2001 as noted in archived media coverage here: http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cult-sues-for-name.htm
They've been under scrutiny ever since in that country, but they took their good old time pulling the trigger.
updated page. So as to cut down on confusion, the article you were referring to was AtlasInfo. :)
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