A court on Friday rejected a fraud and extortion case against the Belgian branch of the Church of Scientology which could have seen the controversial organisation banned in Belgium.

Eleven members of the US-based church and two affiliated bodies were charged with fraud, extortion, running a criminal organisation and violating the right to privacy, all of which Scientology denied.

"The entire proceedings are declared inadmissible for a serious and irremediable breach of the right to a fair trial," presiding judge Yves Regimont said at the Palace of Justice in Brussels.

The judge criticised the investigators involved in an 18-year probe into Scientology in Belgium for what he said was prejudice, and prosecutors for being vague in their case against the religion.

The case was the subject of a seven-week trial that ended last December.

Prosecutors had asked for the court to completely dissolve the Belgian branch of Scientology and for it to face a fine.

Scientology's defence team said the charges were nothing more than an attempt to blacken its reputation.

Championed by superstar members such as Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, Scientology stirs up sharp divisions -- critics decry it as a cult and a scam, while supporters say it offers much-needed spiritual support in a fast-changing world.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by American science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.

It is recognised as a religion in the United States and in other countries such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden, and claims a worldwide membership of 12 million.

But it has come under repeated scrutiny by authorities in several European countries, particularly in Germany.
Source: AFP