NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A suspended deputy United Nations ambassador from the Dominican Republic cannot claim diplomatic immunity to avoid U.S. charges that he participated in a vast bribery scheme, a U.S. judge ruled yesterday. U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick in Manhattan ruled that as a naturalized U.S. citizen, neither treaty obligations nor federal law entitled Francis Lorenzo to immunity from prosecution due to his diplomatic role.
“Rather, United States citizens who are diplomats assigned to the permanent missions of foreign governments to the United Nations enjoy immunity only for their official acts,” Broderick wrote.
Brian Bieber, Lorenzo’s lawyer, said he was “extremely disappointed.” He noted Broderick called the issue novel, and said he would seek to challenge instead whether individual acts Lorenzo took were themselves covered by immunity.
“We believe that diplomatic immunity was a natural and appropriate extension to Ambassador Lorenzo,” he said.
