| activities |
added |
-
- date
- 2008-09-18
- docs
-
- type
- Committee draft report
- title
- PE412.280
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee draft report
-
- date
- 2008-11-03
- text
The Legal Affairs Committee adopted a report
drafted by Klaus-Heiner LEHNE (EPP-ED, DE), and decided to
waive the immunity of Frank VANHECKE (NI, BE).
To recall, a request for waiver of the immunity
of Frank Vanhecke, was submitted, at the request the Dendermonde
Public Prosecutor, by the Belgian Minister of Justice and announced
in plenary sitting on 10 April 2008. The Dendermonde Public
Prosecutor has opened a criminal investigation into Mr Frank Arthur
Hyppolite Vanhecke, a Belgian Member of the European Parliament, on
suspicion of violating laws agains racism and xenophobia. Itr is
beleiveed that Mr Vanhecke was responsible as editor or publisher
responsible for an artilce entitled 'What you were not
allowed to read in the press' in the Vlaams Belang Newspaper, No 2,
Sint-Niklaas edition, of April-May-June 2005. The article in
question concerned the controversy which had arisen over the
desecration of gravestones in Tereken churchyard between 29 March
and 5 April 2005, in which connection Vlaams Belang highlighted the
alleged fact that the culprits were young people of foreign
origin.
In reality the culprits were apparently not of
foreign origin but were identified as four minors of indigenous
origin from two Flemish families.
In the course of the subsequent investigation
it was not possible to ascertain who the author was of the article
and its title. It seems to the Dendermonde Public Prosecutor that
so far Mr Frank Vanhecke remains responsible under the criminal law
for those sections, as the editor or publisher
responsible.
In view of the above considerations, the
Dendermonde Public Prosecutor proposes to order that Mr Frank
Vanhecke be summoned to appear before the Magistrate's Court.
However, in view of Mr Vanhecke's status, such a prosecution would
only be possible after his parliamentary immunity had been
waived.
The Legal Affairs Committee considered in the
first place that this case is not covered by Article 9 of the
Protocol in that an MEP's duties do not include acting as
responsible editor for a national party newspaper. Consequently,
the case falls to be considered under Article 10, namely in the
light of Belgian law and the consolidated practice of the Committee
on Legal Affairs.
After having considered the arguments for and
against waiving immunity, the Committee on Legal Affairs recommends
that the European Parliament waive Mr Frank Vanhecke's
parliamentary immunity.
- body
- EP
- committees
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- JURI
- date
- 2008-06-16
- committee_full
- Legal Affairs
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- LEHNE Klaus-Heiner
- type
- Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
-
- date
- 2008-11-06
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2008-0421&language=EN
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
- title
- A6-0421/2008
- body
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
-
- date
- 2008-11-06
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A6-2008-0421&language=EN
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
- title
- A6-0421/2008
- body
- EP
- type
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
-
- date
- 2008-11-18
- docs
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2008-0537
- text
The European Parliament adopted, by 564 votes
to 61 with 42 abstentions, a resolution on the request for waiver
of the immunity of Frank VANHECKE (NI, BE). The report
had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Klaus-Heiner
LEHNE (EPP-ED, DE) on behalf of the Legal Affairs
Committee.
To recall, at the request of the Dendermonde
Public Prosecutor, the Belgian Minister of Justice made a request
for the waiver of Frank Vanhecke in April 2008, in order to
prosecute a criminal investigation into the Belgian Member, on
suspicion of violating laws against racism and xenophobia by a
publication in a Belgian newspaper.
Having considered the arguments both in favour
and against waiving immunity, Parliament decided to waive the
immunity of Frank VANHECKE.
- type
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- title
- T6-0537/2008
-
- url
- http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=16310&l=en
- type
- Results of vote in Parliament
- title
- Results of vote in Parliament
- body
- EP
- type
- Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
|
| committees |
added |
-
- body
- EP
- responsible
- True
- committee
- JURI
- date
- 2008-06-16
- committee_full
- Legal Affairs
- rapporteur
-
- group
- PPE-DE
- name
- LEHNE Klaus-Heiner
|
| procedure |
added |
- dossier_of_the_committee
- JURI/6/61777
- reference
- 2008/2092(IMM)
- title
- Request for waiver of the immunity of Frank Vanhecke
- legal_basis
- Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 006
- stage_reached
- Procedure completed
- subtype
- Waiver of immunity
- type
- IMM - Members' immunity
- subject
- 8.40.01.03 Members' immunity
|
