Foot Bullet
Confiscated files are illegal
Brussels, Belgium
by Frédéric Soumois
February 22, 2002
Le Soir, http://www.prevensectes.com/rev0202.htm#22g>There is no doubt but that the Belgian Scientologists were poorly advised. They could not resist starting their own string of court suits to get back thousands of adherents' folders confiscated in 1999 in 25 raids during an investigation of a fraud case.
On one hand members demanded their folders back as individual citizens. On the other hand the cult demanded everything back intact, asserting it was the cult's property. It also submitted signed powers of attorney from adherents. This strategy turned out to be a double-edged sword.
The Brussels law court could only determine, as verified by our colleagues at "La Libre Beligique," that the contents of these files stood in contravention to the personal data security law. There was detailed medical information, reports on people's intimate lives, including sexual conduct, testimony about family members, and confessional reports obtained through the use of the electrometer (the Scientologists' miracle machine). This was data which would be illicit for an organization to own without written agreement of the individual. Besides that, the people upon whom these reports were kept did not have access to them to make corrections, in accordance with law.
It was only to be expected, then, that the court refuse to turn over these dossiers on January 30, since it was of the opinion that these statements would serve to defraud adherents. It is also worthy of mention that in 1997, the Belgian Parliament characterized the activities of the Scientology "Church" as dangerous.
La Libre Beligique also revealed that the cult did not only keep files on its members, but also on government officials, journalists and people involved in politics. The records were classified according to the degree of their danger to the cult.
Independently of this, the appeals court had also determined that there were no errors before magistrate Jean-Claude van Espen, who assessed these records to be illegal and dangerous.
At that point it can be assumed that the case is settled.
"To this should be added an E-Meter check for criminal records or undetected current life crimes which could be used for blackmail purposes by subversive agencies in assisting our destruction."
L. Ron Hubbard
HCOPL 23 Nov 59
Employment of Criminals Forbidden