Scientology Organization sues Interior Agency and "sect commissioner"

TAZ -- Hamburg, Germany, October 5, 2000
By Peter Mueller

The Scientologists are showing that they are lawsuit-happy. They intend to prohibit the Hamburg Interior Agency from letting their sect commissioner Ursula Caberta continue her research and information work on the Scientology Organization. A cease-and-desist application was filed yesterday by Munich attorney Wilhelm Bluemel in the Hamburg Administrative Court to that effect, verified court spokeswoman Angelika Huusmann.

The reason for the new attacks against Caberta: the director of the Interior Agency's Work Group on Scientology (AGS) was said to have accepted a private loan from U.S. millionaire and Scientology opponent Bob Minton. Two weeks ago the Scientologists had filed complaints for accepting bribes and favors with the state attorney's office. Now the Hubbard disciples are trying to force the Interior Agency to put Caberta on hold. At the least they want the AGS director to be prohibited from performing her function of information work outside of her job.

Caberta disputes the accusations. She said she had only accepted Minton's invitation to an informational trip to the USA after Minton had been the guest of the Interior Agency in April. "The matter has been given to the Department of Internal investigations," said Interior Agency spokeswoman Susanne Fischer. She is not surprised that the Scientologists, who fight their critics with all legal and illegal means, have now taken the "legal administrative stage." And that can last a while, "The court will send the agency the complaint for a position," said Huusmann. Then the complaint will be taken up in the normal business schedule. "Nobody can count on getting that decision in less than a year."

It was just last April that Scientology failed in its attempt in the administrative court to have the AGS prohibited from distributing its "Technology Statement." Businesses can use the "sect filter" to distance themselves from the "practices and technologies" of Scientology leader L. Ron Hubbard.