Scientology Faces Criminal Charges
Pastor Dale Morgan
Scientology Faces Criminal Charges*
By CONSTANT BRAND
The Associated Press
Tuesday, September 4, 2007; 10:40 AM
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A Belgian prosecutor on Tuesday recommended that
the U.S.-based Church of Scientology stand trial for fraud and
extortion, following a 10-year investigation that concluded the group
should be labeled a criminal organization.
Scientology said it would fight the criminal charges recommended by
investigating prosecutor Jean-Claude Van Espen, who said that up to 12
unidentified people should face charges.
Van Espen's probe also concluded that Scientology's Brussels-based
Europe office and its Belgian missions conducted unlawful practices in
medicine, violated privacy laws and used illegal business contracts,
said Lieve Pellens, a spokeswoman at the Federal Prosecutors Office.
"They also face charges of being ... a criminal organization," Pellens
said in a telephone interview.
An administrative court will decide whether to press charges against the
Scientologists.
In a statement, Scientology's Europe office accused the prosecutor of
hounding the organization and said it would contest the charges.
"For the last 10 years, the prosecutor has been using the media, trying
to damage the reputation of the Church of Scientology and not being able
to put a case in court," Scientology said. "As a consequence, this
created a climate of intolerance and discrimination" in Belgium.
It added that the prosecutor's recommendations suggested Scientology was
guilty even before a court could hear the charges, making it "difficult
for the Church of Scientology to recover and properly defend (itself)
before the court."
Scientology has been active in Belgium for nearly three decades. In
2003, it opened an international office near the headquarters of the
European Union to lobby for its right to be recognized as an official
religious group, a status it does not enjoy in Belgium.
A Belgian parliamentary committee report in 1997 labeled Scientology a
sect and investigations were launched into the group's finances and
practices, such as the personality tests conducted on new members.
Investigators have spent the past decade trying to determine how far
Scientology went in recruiting converts after numerous complaints were
filed with police by ex-members alleging they'd been the victims of
intimidation and extortion.
Justice officials seized financial records, correspondence, bank
statements and other papers in their decade-long probe to track the flow
of money to Scientology. Police also raided the offices of several
consultancy firms linked to the Church of Scientology.
Pellens said that prosecutors expect Scientology to mount a strong legal
challenge to the charges at a court hearing, which could come in the
next two to three months. She acknowledged that could delay the case for
years.
Belgium, Germany and other European countries have been criticized by
the State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and
enacting laws to restrict its operations.
The German government considers Scientology a commercial enterprise that
takes advantage of vulnerable people.
The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, which is seeking to expand
in Europe and be recognized as a legitimate religion, teaches that
technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. The church,
founded in 1954, counts actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its 10
million members.