Sexual assault and indecent exposure are among the crimes alleged to have been committed by people with diplomatic immunity last year.
The Foreign Office has revealed that, in 2023, nine serious and significant offences were allegedly carried out by overseas officials who are exempt from being prosecuted.
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A “serious offence” has been defined as something that could carry a penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment or more, according to government minister Catherine West, who confirmed the data in a Written Ministerial Statement.
Under diplomatic conventions enshrined in international law, officials with a diplomatic service based in a foreign country are granted various immunities. The extent to which they, or their family members, are immune from prosecution depends on how senior they are.
In 2023, serious offences committed included: An Iraqi accused of possession or distribution of indecent images of children; a Libyan accused of sexual assault; a Portuguese person accused of indecent exposure and someone from Singapore facing an accusation of child cruelty or neglect.
A Fijian and a Pakistani were also accused of driving without insurance; while diplomats from Ghana, Libya and Mongolia were accused of assault.
Ms West said: “Around 26,500 people are entitled to diplomatic or international organisation-related immunity in the UK and the vast majority of diplomats and dependants abide by UK law.
“The number of alleged serious offences committed by members of the diplomatic community in the UK is proportionately low.”
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She said the Foreign Office “does not tolerate foreign diplomats or dependants breaking the law” and when crimes are brought to their attention, “we ask the relevant foreign government or international organisation to waive immunity, where appropriate, to facilitate further investigation”.
“For the most serious offences, and when a relevant waiver has not been granted, we request the immediate withdrawal of the diplomat or dependant.”
Among the foreign governmental staff for whom immunity was claimed was US spy Anne Sacoolas, who fled the UK after killing teenage motorcyclist Harry Dunn in Northamptonshire in 2019. The UK wanted her returned to face trial but the US state department resisted. Eventually, she was tried remotely, while remaining in the US.
The minister also set out the fines and taxes owed by diplomatic missions, including over £152m in unpaid London congestion charges from its introduction in 2003 until the end of September 2024.
The US owed £15m of that total, while Japan owed £10m and China £9m.
Ms West said: “Officials have regular contact with diplomatic missions and international organisations in the UK about outstanding national non-domestic rates (NNDR) payments, outstanding parking fine debt and unpaid London congestion charge debt, to press for payment of outstanding debt and fines.”
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