Hardrock69
12-29-2012, 03:18 PM
Linky (http://news.yahoo.com/could-belgium-bring-down-scientology-164921804.html;_ylt=AlXS2bvLFLq8keDS2q4YU1H59XQA;_ ylu=X3oDMTVxN3RvdTNnBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2 lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3Mg Zm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDZmNkZjlkZDMtOW I2Yy0zNGU1LWIwNGUtYzNjYjVhYWE5N2ZhBHBvcwMyBHNlYwNu ZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyA2E5OTBkNzUwLTUxMGUtMTFlMi1iN2 VmLTMxZjBjOWFlNjgwYw--;_ylg=X3oDMTJ2djkxNm5nBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDYWZmYWNiNGYtZWIxNi0zMGQ1LThjZmQtNzRhMWExNG EyYzgyBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlfHBldHMEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl ;_ylv=3)
Scientologists may be facing their most daunting court case yet, and all it took was for someone to stop calling them a cult. After a years long legal battle, federal prosecutors in Belgium now believe their investigation is complete enough to charge the Church of Scientology and its leaders as a criminal organization on charges of extortion, fraud, privacy breaches, and the illegal practice of medicine. "The decision follows years of investigation that was triggered by a complaint by the Labour Mediation Service in the Brussels Region. Labour mediators were unhappy with a number of labour contracts," reads the report from Flanders News. "The matter ended up on the desk of examining magistrate Michel Claise, who ordered raids on Church of Scientology premises in 2008. During the raids police managed to seize a wealth of evidence," they add. And (with the help of Google translate) Belgian newspapers De Tijd and L'Echo are both reporting that the Belgian federal attorney is now seeking prosecution.
Multiple reports and the group's legal history point to one key factor here: The Belgian government won't charge Scientology for being a cult — authorities are focusing on prosecuting it as a criminal organization. Which is a new twist, as most of the group's many court battles over the years have focused on establishing its legitimacy as a religion. Scientology's well-funded legal team won very expensive cases against Time in 1991 and the Cult Awareness Network in 1996, but the Belgian authorities have been battling Scientologists since 2007, when the country tried to label the group with cult status in a move that even received blowback from the U.S. State Department.
The Church of Scientology houses its European headquarters in Brussels, so a ban in Belgian could be crippling to the group — and authorities there seem to know it. One of the more similar recent cases against came in 2009, when the French chapter of Scientology was convicted of fraud by a Paris court and fined nearly $900,000. "But the judges did not ban the church entirely, as the prosecution had demanded, saying that a change in the law prevented such an action for fraud," reported The New York Times's Steven Erlanger. So the French chapter got saved by a legal wrinkle, but the Belgian prosecutors don't appear to be backing down.
Neither the federal prosecution nor the Church of Scientology have not made public comments since word of the impending charges surfaced early Friday.
They ARE a criminal enterprise! Their focus on "helping" people is a fucking scam......it is just a "cover story" for their real purpose......to steal people's hard-earned cash while pretending to give them something of "value".
The Church's own writings talk about making transactions "equal"....like for like....and warn against "criminal behavior", calling it a form of insanity.
Church leaders back in the 70s were obviously insane then, as they were arrested on charges they broke into Federal offices, and stealing documents related to investigations into their activities. The Feds won their case. High up Scientology officials were found guilty of felonies.
They want to be called a "religion"....well, they are like many other religions.....scamming people.
I hope the Belgian government wins their case against these goddamnable fucks! :mad:
If it is one thing I hate, it is criminals. Especially those who take advantage of gullible people who are in need of help.
Scientologists may be facing their most daunting court case yet, and all it took was for someone to stop calling them a cult. After a years long legal battle, federal prosecutors in Belgium now believe their investigation is complete enough to charge the Church of Scientology and its leaders as a criminal organization on charges of extortion, fraud, privacy breaches, and the illegal practice of medicine. "The decision follows years of investigation that was triggered by a complaint by the Labour Mediation Service in the Brussels Region. Labour mediators were unhappy with a number of labour contracts," reads the report from Flanders News. "The matter ended up on the desk of examining magistrate Michel Claise, who ordered raids on Church of Scientology premises in 2008. During the raids police managed to seize a wealth of evidence," they add. And (with the help of Google translate) Belgian newspapers De Tijd and L'Echo are both reporting that the Belgian federal attorney is now seeking prosecution.
Multiple reports and the group's legal history point to one key factor here: The Belgian government won't charge Scientology for being a cult — authorities are focusing on prosecuting it as a criminal organization. Which is a new twist, as most of the group's many court battles over the years have focused on establishing its legitimacy as a religion. Scientology's well-funded legal team won very expensive cases against Time in 1991 and the Cult Awareness Network in 1996, but the Belgian authorities have been battling Scientologists since 2007, when the country tried to label the group with cult status in a move that even received blowback from the U.S. State Department.
The Church of Scientology houses its European headquarters in Brussels, so a ban in Belgian could be crippling to the group — and authorities there seem to know it. One of the more similar recent cases against came in 2009, when the French chapter of Scientology was convicted of fraud by a Paris court and fined nearly $900,000. "But the judges did not ban the church entirely, as the prosecution had demanded, saying that a change in the law prevented such an action for fraud," reported The New York Times's Steven Erlanger. So the French chapter got saved by a legal wrinkle, but the Belgian prosecutors don't appear to be backing down.
Neither the federal prosecution nor the Church of Scientology have not made public comments since word of the impending charges surfaced early Friday.
They ARE a criminal enterprise! Their focus on "helping" people is a fucking scam......it is just a "cover story" for their real purpose......to steal people's hard-earned cash while pretending to give them something of "value".
The Church's own writings talk about making transactions "equal"....like for like....and warn against "criminal behavior", calling it a form of insanity.
Church leaders back in the 70s were obviously insane then, as they were arrested on charges they broke into Federal offices, and stealing documents related to investigations into their activities. The Feds won their case. High up Scientology officials were found guilty of felonies.
They want to be called a "religion"....well, they are like many other religions.....scamming people.
I hope the Belgian government wins their case against these goddamnable fucks! :mad:
If it is one thing I hate, it is criminals. Especially those who take advantage of gullible people who are in need of help.