London, June 29 (ANI): Foreign Embassy officials and dependants in Britain have got off scot-free from 78 charges due to diplomatic immunity.
According to The Guardian, some officials were caught shoplifting and drink-driving, while others were accused of robbery and human trafficking, with two notable 'offenders' each owing 3million ponds in congestion charge fines. However, instead of facing the full weight of the law this privileged group has got off scot-free.
The paper stated that the foreign embassy staff has been exempted from a range of serious charges that in normal cases would have carried a penalty of at least 12 months in prison.
Five diplomats have escaped shoplifting charges since 2005, including an official from the Gambian embassy caught in 2009, a staffer at the Cameroonian embassy in 2008, and one member of each of the Egyptian, Equatorial Guinean and Zambian embassies accused in 2005.
There are 25,000 embassy staff and their dependants in the UK covered by diplomatic immunity: over the past five years there were 78 exemptions from serious charges.
The report stated that the embassy staff in London from more than 57 countries have clocked up 534,060 pounds in unpaid parking tickets and minor traffic offences in 2009.
A diplomat from Saudi Arabia was accused of sexual assault while another one from Sierra Leone was alleged to have been involved in human trafficking.
A member of the Pakistan embassy was accused of threatening to kill, and one from Cameroon accused of neglect of a young person.
Some 57 diplomatic missions owe more than 100,000 pounds each in congestion charges. Twelve countries collectively owe 481,096 pounds in unpaid business rates including Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cameroon, and Cote D'Ivoire. (ANI)
null
|
|
Comments:
