Saturday, February 04, 2012

In France It's a Fraud In America It's a Religion: Scientology Declared Organised Fraud

The Appeal Court Judgment

The Court of Appeal in Paris confirmed the convictions of the two Scientology organisations for organised fraud, a decision which some say is the beginning of the end for the movement.
2 February 2012

On Thursday, February 2, the Court of Appeal in Paris confirmed the conviction of two Scientology organisations for organised fraud.



It also upheld convictions for organised fraud and charges relating to the illegal practice of pharmacy against five Scientologists, increasing the sentences against two of the appellants.

The appeal court conformed the following convictions and sentences:

The Association Spirituelle de l’Eglise de Scientologie CC (ASES), the Celebrity Centre, was convicted of organised fraud.

It was fined 400,000 euros and ordered to pay for the details of the conviction to be published in several major French newpapers: Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération, Le Parisien and Ouest France.

Scientology’s network of bookshops Scientologie Espace Librarie (SEL) was also convicted of organised fraud.

It was fined 200,000 euros and ordered to pay for the publication of the conviction in the same newspapers.[i]

The court confirmed the convictions and sentences against three of the appelants:

Alain Rosenberg, the managing director of the Celebrity Centre, was convicted on appeal of organised fraud and of complicity in the illegal exercise of pharmacy. He received a two-year suspended prison sentence and a 30,000-euro fine;

Didier Michaux, the bookshop’s star salesman, was convicted on appeal of organised fraud. He received an 18-month suspended sentence and a 20,000-euro fine;

Jean-François Valli, the other bookshop salesman, who also did work for the Celebrity Centre, was convicted on appeal of organised fraud. He received an 18-months suspended sentence and a 10,000-euro fine.

But the court increased the sentence against two of the defendants:

Sabine Jacquart, the then president of the Celebrity Centre, was convicted on appeal of organised fraud and of complicity in the illegal exercise of pharmacy. She received a two-year suspended sentence and a 30,000-euro fine. (She was originally sentenced to a 10-month suspended sentence and a 5,000-euro fine.);

Aline Fabre, who supervised the Purification Rundown at the Celebrity Centre, was convicted on appeal of the illegal exercise of pharmacy. Her fine was increased from 2,000 euros in the original sentence to 10,000 euros.

Fabre, Jacquart, Rosenberg (and Anne-Marie Pasturel, who was not represented during the appeal trial) were each ordered to pay the National Order of Pharmacists 5,000 euros in compensation.

Neither the defendants nor their lawyers were in court to hear the judgment. They had walked-out half-way through the trial protesting that they could not get a fair hearing.

Outside the court, Maître Olivier Morice for the counter-cult group UNADFI described it as a historic victory, and a case which had been followed by several European countries where court cases are pending.

“It is the first time in France that Scientology has been convicted as an organisation for organised fraud,” he said.

“I think that we are at the beginning of other key decisions against Scientology, which could lead to its banning, or its dissolution,” he added.

Back in 1998, more http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/



And they ain't all in Ameriki, I'm ashamed to say.

Previous: France Regards Scientology as a Cult, Not a Religion: Court to Rule on Appeal

8 comments:

Jonny Jacobsen said...

Could source this piece to Infinite Complacency a little more clearly please, at the top?
Thanks,
Jonny Jacobsen
http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/

Himself said...

I don't do tops, how's about the normal place?

jj said...

Okaaaay: well if you're not willing to observe the basic professional courtesies, let me at least give your readers the correct link to the piece in question: http://infinitecomplacency.blogspot.com/2012/02/appeal-court-judgment.html?utm_source=BP_recent

Himself said...

FFS get the plank out of your arse. More bloggers than not would have nicked your whole article and you might have been lucky to receive a link back.

Don't talk to me about courtesy you prick.

Anonymous said...

Mimi Faust's mother, Olaiya Odufunke: Her life in Scientology's Secret Service
http://bit.ly/T62sR2

Himself said...

Good morning my precious, the girls send their love.

You won't believe this, but I saved late last night, half an article on Scientology. I just need to add a few words of my own, so I shall be posting within the hour.

Anonymous said...

I believe it, extremely so in fact. Love y'all.

Anonymous said...

A bientôt, à la France. X