Losing faith? Belgium to charge Church of Scientology with fraud and extortion - reports

Published time: December 28, 2012 21:40
Edited time: December 29, 2012 01:40
AFP Photo / Frederic J. Brown

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.

Belgian authorities have been legally battling Scientologists since 2007, when the country tried to label the movement as a cult. Around the same time Belgian prosecutors ruled that the Belgian Church of Scientology, plus Scientology's Office of Human Rights and their 12 members, should be charged with extortion, fraud, organized crime, illegal medical practice.

They were accused of practicing medicine without a license and violating privacy laws.

The church described the case as a "witch hunt", with vocal supporters in the US condemning the move.

An estimated 500 people belong to the church of Scientology in Belgium, where the government denied Scientology the status of religion in 1997.  The organization's European headquarters are located in Brussels.

In 2009 the organization was convicted in France on fraud charges.

That conviction was upheld in a French appeals court in February 2012.

Comments (61)

KeepingItSimpleandSmart (unregistered) 16.01.2013 13:28

Whatever you believe it is your choice. But always avoid bullied-into group think. Here's an easy way to live: don't hurt others. Don't hurt yourself. And figure out through careful research and discussions with the people in your life what exactly constitutes 'hurt.' And in the meantime help others. But be reasonable, e.g. don't sell your house to give away what you earned unless it is for people you love who really need such an extreme level of help. Finally, if it feels like BS and "smells" like BS, it IS BS. So avoid it. Religions and communities based on them have no place in modern society. Surround yourself with people who uplift you for who you are now, today. Remember: water seeks its own level.

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Viva CHE 02.01.2013 08:05

guest (unregistered) wrote in #4
Scientolo gy is NOT a religion, it is an extortionist, farudult cult with known cases of money laundering, slave labor, physical abuse, kidnapping, espionage and infiltration of govt agencies, embezzlement, extortion, violation of all known human rights of the UN charter,  and many more "good" deeds.

The sooner this criminal syndicate gets shut down the better.
That' s right kill scientology for following what the catholics have been doing for 2000 years . This is pure comedy :D

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Viva CHE 02.01.2013 06:32

Ivan (unregistered) wrote in #11

The BIG confusion about  Scientology comes from the Attempts ofmere Mortals, Meat bodied Beings, understanding the Immortal Thetans. that train to Operate without a body in any Universe, in any Games and are not limited to the understandings and World view of Meatheads (brain run meatballs).. Scientology is not for you guys, you are too small compared to even the Universe you understand as physical. A Operating Thetan Recovered from the traps of Meat body Society, can go all over the Universe as you know it.. I recall a song of long where the Thetans sing how the galaxies are their foot steps, the places they have visited and left. Most of you guys won't leave foot prints even in the mud of the beach you visited.. Any way Stay away from Scientology and all those Thetans, who today are more powerful than even the Greek Titans. Thetans have no use for the Mortals, one life timers, they cannot even mix sexually. even though Zeus did screw a few pretty mortal girls, but he was married to an Immortal Hera..Did you ever wonder where the word Heretic came from? Hera in Greek means Power, Heracles, Powerful Grip (clow, clamp, close, etc..). Do not pick on the Immortal Thetans, some posing as Scientologists, since you only have one life time to win, but they have all of eternity at their disposal. Very well said. The true sadness is that all these meat bags are concerned with is their time in the physical realm. Pretty descent setup they have going on, they are absolved of all wrong doing if they just follow the word and doctrine of Jesus, Mohammed, Siddartha, Joseph Smith(LMAO) etc. They have no concept of self awareness or the repercussions of their actions. Arent all these so called faiths about preparing yourself for the afterlife ? The joke of humanity is religion. To bad 90% of the world has missed the punch line. All religions and faiths are bastardized Scientology is no different. if there is money to be made then it will be made.  If you know nothing of what you speak then listen. WE are free of mind and body and through empirical evidence and training can ascend to any state or level of your choosing.

Do only those things that others may experience easily -Hubbard-

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