A Saudi Arabian embassy employee in the UK was shielded by diplomatic immunity from being prosecuted for developing malicious software for online fraud, the government has revealed.
Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary, has released a list of serious offences alleged to have been committed by people entitled to diplomatic immunity. Of the 14 offences reported in 2014, one was the production of malware by a Saudi. Another was possession of a firearm — also by a Saudi, Financial Times of London reports.
Most of the offences carried out were driving-related. Six people were found to be driving without insurance; five were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
Hammond said: “We take all allegations of illegal activity seriously. When instances of alleged criminal conduct are brought to our attention by the police, we ask the relevant foreign government to waive diplomatic immunity where appropriate.
“For the most serious offences, and when a relevant waiver has not been granted, we seek the immediate withdrawal of the diplomat.”
The Foreign Office would not give any details of the offences, and the Saudi embassy could not be reached for comment.
Serious offences are not the only problem foreign embassies create for the British government. The Foreign Office also disclosed that diplomats had racked up more than £87m in unpaid congestion charges in central London since the policy was introduced in 2003.
The US embassy is the biggest debtor, with outstanding fines of £9.4m, followed by Japan, which the government says owes £6.4m, while Nigeria and Russia owe £5.3m each. In total, 76 embassies each have more than £100,000 of unpaid charges.
Most embassies consider the congestion charge to be a tax, and so refuse to pay it. But British politicians have complained that diplomats should not be exempt from efforts to reduce congestion in London.
Diplomats also owe more than £500,000 in unpaid parking fines, Hammond disclosed, with Nigeria the biggest transgressor on £49,235 worth of charges. Zambia owes £42,520, while Saudi Arabia’s debt is £25,990.
The Foreign Office said it had held meetings with a number of missions about outstanding parking fine debt. “In addition, in April this year we wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned, giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly.”
A further £743,858 is owed in unpaid business rates.
Diplomatic missions have to pay only 6 per cent of normal business rates, but government figures show 19 have outstanding debts of more than £10,000. Bangladesh has the largest amount of outstanding debt, owing £98,963, while nearly £100,000 is collectively owed by Iran and Syria — neither of which currently has a mission in the UK.
Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary, has released a list of serious offences alleged to have been committed by people entitled to diplomatic immunity. Of the 14 offences reported in 2014, one was the production of malware by a Saudi. Another was possession of a firearm — also by a Saudi, Financial Times of London reports.
Most of the offences carried out were driving-related. Six people were found to be driving without insurance; five were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.
Hammond said: “We take all allegations of illegal activity seriously. When instances of alleged criminal conduct are brought to our attention by the police, we ask the relevant foreign government to waive diplomatic immunity where appropriate.
“For the most serious offences, and when a relevant waiver has not been granted, we seek the immediate withdrawal of the diplomat.”
The Foreign Office would not give any details of the offences, and the Saudi embassy could not be reached for comment.
Serious offences are not the only problem foreign embassies create for the British government. The Foreign Office also disclosed that diplomats had racked up more than £87m in unpaid congestion charges in central London since the policy was introduced in 2003.
The US embassy is the biggest debtor, with outstanding fines of £9.4m, followed by Japan, which the government says owes £6.4m, while Nigeria and Russia owe £5.3m each. In total, 76 embassies each have more than £100,000 of unpaid charges.
Most embassies consider the congestion charge to be a tax, and so refuse to pay it. But British politicians have complained that diplomats should not be exempt from efforts to reduce congestion in London.
Diplomats also owe more than £500,000 in unpaid parking fines, Hammond disclosed, with Nigeria the biggest transgressor on £49,235 worth of charges. Zambia owes £42,520, while Saudi Arabia’s debt is £25,990.
The Foreign Office said it had held meetings with a number of missions about outstanding parking fine debt. “In addition, in April this year we wrote to diplomatic missions and international organisations concerned, giving them the opportunity to either pay their outstanding fines or appeal against them if they considered that the fines had been issued incorrectly.”
A further £743,858 is owed in unpaid business rates.
Diplomatic missions have to pay only 6 per cent of normal business rates, but government figures show 19 have outstanding debts of more than £10,000. Bangladesh has the largest amount of outstanding debt, owing £98,963, while nearly £100,000 is collectively owed by Iran and Syria — neither of which currently has a mission in the UK.
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