Diplomatic Immunity: Serious Offences The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown) My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. In 2007, 20 serious offences allegedly committed by people entitled to diplomatic immunity were drawn to the attention of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Serious offences are defined as offences that would, in certain circumstances, carry a penalty of 12 months or more imprisonment. Some 24,000 people are entitled to diplomatic immunity in the United Kingdom. The table below lists those foreign missions whose diplomats allegedly committed serious offences and the type of offence from 2003-07. ------------------------------------------------------------ |2003 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ |Activities Inconsistent with Diplomatic Status (Bribery)| | ------------------------------------------------------------ |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Driving under the Influence of Alcohol | | ------------------------------------------------------------ |Algeria |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Bolivia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Bulgaria |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Commonwealth Secretariat |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Italy |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Kuwait |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Mexico |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Other * |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Russia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Rwanda |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Sierra Leone |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Ukraine |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Indecent Assault | | ------------------------------------------------------------ |South Africa |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Morocco |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ |Possession of an Offensive Weapon | | ------------------------------------------------------------ |Libya |1| ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ |2004 | | ------------------------------------------ |Arranging Sham Marriages | | ------------------------------------------ |Nigeria |1| ------------------------------------------ |Driving under the Influence of Alcohol| | ------------------------------------------ |Angola |1| ------------------------------------------ |Austria |1| ------------------------------------------ |Luxembourg |1| ------------------------------------------ |Mozambique |1| ------------------------------------------ |Serbia and Montenegro |1| ------------------------------------------ |Spain |1| ------------------------------------------ |Indecent Assault | | ------------------------------------------ |Congo |1| ------------------------------------------ |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------ |Indecent Assault on Child | | ------------------------------------------ |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------ |Robbery and Assault | | ------------------------------------------ |Angola |1| ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------- |2005 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Actual Bodily Harm | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Jordan |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Assault (Domestic Violence) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Dangerous Driving | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Turkey |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Driving under the Influence of Alcohol | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Angola |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Egypt |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Ghana |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Lebanon |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Peru |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Russia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Harassment | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Turkey |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Theft (Shoplifting) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Egypt |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Equatorial Guinea |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Zambia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |Theft and Robbery (of Motor Vehicle, Driving without Insurance)| | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |South Africa |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- |2006 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Attempted Robbery | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |South Africa |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Deception (Going Equipped to Commit) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Nigeria |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Driving under the Influence of Alcohol | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Kazakhstan |2| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Belarus |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Côte d’Ivoire |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Kuwait |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Malawi |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Oman |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Saudi Arabia |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |South Africa |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Driving without Insurance | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Pakistan |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Failure to Stop for Police/Driving without Insurance and Licence| | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Kazakhstan |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Robbery | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |South Africa |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Theft (Obtaining Property by Deception) | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |Ghana |1| -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |2007 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Dangerous Driving | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Russia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Domestic Assault/Actual Bodily Harm | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |South Africa |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Driving without insurance | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Ghana |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Driving without insurance and driving under the influence of alcohol| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Malawi |2| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Driving under the influence of alcohol | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Belarus |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Georgia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Hungary |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Israel |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Italy |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Other * |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Kazakhstan |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Kuwait |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Moldova |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Nigeria |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Peru |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Saudi Arabia |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Turkmenistan |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Misrepresentation (obtaining insurance by deception) | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Cote D'Ivoire |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Robbery and Actual Bodily Harm | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Guyana |1| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Details have been withheld because the number of diplomatic personnel in the mission(s) concerned is/are so small that disclosure would lead to the identification of the individual concerned. This would breach the data protection rights of that individual, in particular, the first data protection principle; namely, that personal data should be processed fairly. This is because the offences are only alleged to have been committed and have not been proven in a court of law. In these circumstances, Section 40(2) and (3) of the Freedom of Information Act confer an absolute exemption on disclosure of this information.