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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:58 am Post subject: Scientologists charged with fraud in France |
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PARIS (Reuters) - A French judge has ordered two branches of the Church of Scientology and seven of its leaders to stand trial for fraud, a judicial source said on Monday.
The case is the latest in a series of legal battles that have pitted the French judicial system against the Scientologists, who are viewed by the authorities as a sect.
The latest suit centers on a complaint made in 1998 by a woman who said she was enrolled into the Church by a group of people she met outside a metro station.
In the following months, she said she paid 140,000 francs (21,340 euros) to the Scientologists in exchange for "purification packs" and books.
Judge Jean-Christophe Hullin ruled that the Scientologists' operational centers in France, its Celebrity Center and its bookstore, along with seven Church leaders should be tried for "organized fraud" and "illegally practicing as pharmacists".
The Church of Scientology, which is registered as a religion in the United States, has denounced the case as "empty and concocted", adding that the woman who filed the complaint had been reimbursed.
The public prosecutor said the case should be shelved but in a relatively rare move, judge Hullin ignored his recommendation and instead ordered the trial, which is not expected to start for at least six months.
The Church of Scientology, which counts actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members, was founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
It has battled in vain for recognition as a religion in France, but has expanded its operations in recent years despite fraud convictions for local officials in Lyon in 1997 and Marseille in 1999.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL820153620080908?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true |
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On the other hand
Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Location: I walk along the avenue
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:13 am Post subject: |
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Judge Jean-Christophe Hullin ruled that the Scientologists' operational centers in France, its Celebrity Center and its bookstore, along with seven Church leaders should be tried for "organized fraud" and "illegally practicing as pharmacists".
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I am not up on French pharmacy law, but to my layman antennae, this would be a pretty high bar for the prosecution to hurdle. Wouldn't they have to prove that Scientology claims to be doing the same thing that pharmacists do? As far as I know, they don't really make that claim.
As I recall, the one time I went in for my personality test at a Dianetics Center, the guy mumbled some sort of disclaimer about Scientology not being able to do this or that during the sales pitch. I dunno, I'm guessing this was enough to cover their legal bases in Canada at the time. Anyone who doesn't listen to the disclaimer probably has no cause to complain.
The personality test is complete nonsense, of course, though no more so than astrology books that people pay money for. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:16 am Post subject: |
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I wondered about that too. However, a key element of the scientology 'religion' is massive doses of vitamins. That could be the reference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purification_Rundown
Of course, I know nothing of French laws regarding vitamins etc so I can't say if this is the issue. |
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doc_ido
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Vitamin supplements used to be classes as medicines in France (not sure if they still are due to intense lobbying by supermarkets), so I'd guess the church was reselling stuff to its members without getting a pharmacy license first. |
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