Madrid (dpa) - The first major trial against 17 members and adherents of the Scientology organization began on Tuesday in Spain. The chief of the organization, Heber Jentzsch, for whom the state attorney's office was demanding 56 years in prison, was supposed to be among the accused. From a source in the legal circles though, the American did not appear before the court because the authorities in the USA did not forward the summons from the Spanish court.
The state attorney's office applied to have the trial postponed. The defense refused the application. It was pointed out that the Spanish court had had many years to properly summon Jentzsch.
The accused have been charged with an illegal association, deprivation of liberty, tax evasion and other crimes. According to Spanish press reports, Scientology is described in the indictment as an "extremely dangerous organization" which resembles a "sect" more than it does a church.