Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France
PARIS — A Paris court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than euro600,000 ($900,000) on Tuesday, but stopped short of banning the group's activities.
The group's French branch said it would appeal the verdict.
The court convicted the Church of Scientology's French office, its library and six of its leaders of organized fraud. Investigators said the group pressured members into paying large sums of money for questionable financial gain and used "commercial harassment" against recruits.
The group was fined euro400,000 ($600,000) and the library euro200,000. Four of the leaders were given suspended sentences of between 10 months and two years. The other two were given fines of euro1,000 and euro2,000.
Prosecutors had urged that the group be disbanded in France and fined euro2 million. A law that was briefly on the books this year prevented the court from going so far as to disband the French branch of Scientology in Tuesday's verdict — though it could have taken the lesser step of shutting down its operations.
However, the court did not do so, ruling that French Scientologists would have continued their activities anyway "outside any legal framework."
A spokeswoman for the French branch of Scientology, Agnes Bron, said the verdict was "an Inquisition of modern times," a reference to efforts to rout out heretics of the Roman Catholic Church in centuries past.
"It's really all bark and no bite," said the spokesman of the Church of Scientology International, Tommy Davis. "The church will emerge victorious on appeal."
Speaking by telephone from New York, Davis said the Church of Scientology was prepared to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
The head of a French association that helps victims of sects called the verdict "intelligent."
"Scientology can no longer hide behind freedom of conscience," Catherine Picard said.
The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, has been active for decades in Europe, but has struggled to gain status as a religion. It is considered a sect in France and has faced prosecution and difficulties in registering its activities in many countries.
Defense lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve said during the trial that neither the Church of Scientology nor the six leaders on trial had gained financially from the group's practices.
The original complaint in the case dates back more than a decade, when a young woman said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of euro21,000 on books, courses and "purification packages" after being recruited in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused. She was among three eventual plaintiffs.
Olivier Morice, lawyer for civil parties in the case, said the verdict was "historic" because it was the first time in France that the Church of Scientology has been convicted of organized fraud.
Investigating Judge Jean-Christophe Hullin spent years examining the group's activities, and in his indictment criticized what he called the Scientologists' "obsession" with financial gain and practices he said were aimed at plunging members into a "state of subjection."
The Church of Scientology teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. It claims 10 million members around the world, including celebrity devotees Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
Belgium, Germany and other European countries have been criticized by the U.S. State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and enacting laws to restrict its operations.
They got away with Operation Snow White and several deaths so...I dunno. All I know is I still like Ethan Suplee, Beck, Juliette Lewis, Jason Lee, and Laura Prepon.
__________________ Land of the free, home of the brave...
Do you think we will ever be saved?
In this land of dreams find myself sober...
Wonder when will it'll all be over...
Living in a void when the void grows colder...
Wonder when it'll all be over?
Will you be laughing when it's over?
That the one where they tried to hide/do away with the evidence that Ron liked to hang out in his yacht with a bunch of younger male "friends", among other things?
I am inclined to agree with you, a group with that much money and connections doesn't get brushed away.
I think other European countries should follow in similar footsteps. Don't outlaw the cult, just make it lose the relition status, then tax the crap out of them.
__________________
في هذا العالم ثلاثة أشخاص أفسدوا البشرية : راعي غنم , طبيب و راكب الجمال , و راكب الجمال هو أسوأ نشال و أسوأ مشعوذ بين الثلاثة
Operation Snow White was the single biggest infiltration of the US Government in history. It's when they tried to basically take control of the IRS and destroy the lives and reputations of their enemies and was spearheaded by Hubbard's wife.
__________________ Land of the free, home of the brave...
Do you think we will ever be saved?
In this land of dreams find myself sober...
Wonder when will it'll all be over...
Living in a void when the void grows colder...
Wonder when it'll all be over?
Will you be laughing when it's over?
Ethan Suplee- Played Willam in Mallrats. Was also in Chasing Amy, American History X, Vulgar, and My Name Is Earl.
Jason Lee- Stars in My Name Is Earl and also starred in Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Heart Breakers, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Enemy of the State, and the music video for Sonic Youth's 100%.
Juliette Lewis- Starred in several movies including Natural Born Killers and Strange Days. Lead Singer of Juliette and the Licks.
Beck-Grammy winning musician/performance artist.
Laura Prepon-Donna on That 70's Show.
__________________ Land of the free, home of the brave...
Do you think we will ever be saved?
In this land of dreams find myself sober...
Wonder when will it'll all be over...
Living in a void when the void grows colder...
Wonder when it'll all be over?
Will you be laughing when it's over?
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Oct 28th, 2009 09:37 PM
