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French appeals court upheld the Church of Scientology’s 2009 fraud conviction

rafagomezd

Patron
French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

All the news about this on spanish:
http://www.asesor.xscientology.com

but just for you all guys and girls!


French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

The Associated Press
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 | 12:40 a.m.


A French appeals court on Thursday upheld the Church of Scientology's 2009 fraud conviction on charges it pressured members into paying large sums for questionable remedies.

The case began with a legal complaint by a young woman who said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of euro21,000 ($28,000) on books, courses and "purification packages" after being recruited in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused to allow either. She was among three eventual plaintiffs.

Karin Pouw, a spokeswoman for the church in Los Angeles, denounced Thursday's decision, calling it a "miscarriage of justice."

She said the group would appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation and plans to bring a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. Another complaint is pending with a U.N. special rapporteur.

About 50 Scientologists _ holding signs saying "No to a heresy trial" and "No to justice under pressure" _ protested outside the Paris court hours after the decision.

During the appeals process, the prosecution had asked for the church to be fined at least euro1 million ($1.3 million) and its bookstore euro500,000. But the appeals court on Thursday instead ordered the same fines as the trial court, euro400,000 ($530,000) for the church and euro200,000 for its bookstore.

Five members of the church who were convicted in the first trial were ordered to pay fines ranging from euro10,000 to euro30,000. Four of them were also given suspended sentences between 18 months and two years.

In the original trial, prosecutors had tried to get the group disbanded in France, but the court declined even to take the lesser step of shutting down its operations, saying that French Scientologists would have continued their activities anyway.

Pouw said Thursday that the church was continuing its missions without any restrictions.

"The environment in the court was so prejudicial that defense attorneys walked out of the proceedings in protest, refusing as a matter of conscience to participate in proceedings that had degenerated into a charade," she said by phone.

While Scientology is recognized as a religion in the U.S., Sweden and Spain, it is not considered one under French law.

Founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the church 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 and Germany have been criticized by the U.S. State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and enacting laws to restrict its operations. France also considers Scientology a sect
 

rafagomezd

Patron
French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

All the news about this on spanish:
http://www.asesor.xscientology.com

but just for you all guys and girls!


French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

The Associated Press
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 | 12:40 a.m.


A French appeals court on Thursday upheld the Church of Scientology's 2009 fraud conviction on charges it pressured members into paying large sums for questionable remedies.

The case began with a legal complaint by a young woman who said she took out loans and spent the equivalent of euro21,000 ($28,000) on books, courses and "purification packages" after being recruited in 1998. When she sought reimbursement and to leave the group, its leadership refused to allow either. She was among three eventual plaintiffs.

Karin Pouw, a spokeswoman for the church in Los Angeles, denounced Thursday's decision, calling it a "miscarriage of justice."

She said the group would appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation and plans to bring a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights. Another complaint is pending with a U.N. special rapporteur.

About 50 Scientologists _ holding signs saying "No to a heresy trial" and "No to justice under pressure" _ protested outside the Paris court hours after the decision.

During the appeals process, the prosecution had asked for the church to be fined at least euro1 million ($1.3 million) and its bookstore euro500,000. But the appeals court on Thursday instead ordered the same fines as the trial court, euro400,000 ($530,000) for the church and euro200,000 for its bookstore.

Five members of the church who were convicted in the first trial were ordered to pay fines ranging from euro10,000 to euro30,000. Four of them were also given suspended sentences between 18 months and two years.

In the original trial, prosecutors had tried to get the group disbanded in France, but the court declined even to take the lesser step of shutting down its operations, saying that French Scientologists would have continued their activities anyway.

Pouw said Thursday that the church was continuing its missions without any restrictions.

"The environment in the court was so prejudicial that defense attorneys walked out of the proceedings in protest, refusing as a matter of conscience to participate in proceedings that had degenerated into a charade," she said by phone.

While Scientology is recognized as a religion in the U.S., Sweden and Spain, it is not considered one under French law.

Founded in 1954 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the church 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 and Germany have been criticized by the U.S. State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and enacting laws to restrict its operations. France also considers Scientology a sect
 

Ogsonofgroo

Crusader
Re: French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

Well alrighty then! Thank you for the update, I was wonderin' how this was going to pan out.
Goes most excellently with morning coffee and bagette! :clap::clap:

Yay Frenchies you ROCK!

dance1.gif


The bawwwww-fest should be monumental too!
Butthurt.jpg


:carryon:
 
Last edited:

Gadfly

Crusader
From the article.

Pouw said Thursday that the church was continuing its missions without any restrictions.

"The environment in the court was so prejudicial that defense attorneys walked out of the proceedings in protest, refusing as a matter of conscience to participate in proceedings that had degenerated into a charade," she said by phone.

It kills me when Scientologists put on the mask of "righteous indignation". It is just so horrendously hypocritical. Like when Tommy Davis stormed off the set of his interview.

They are like crying moaning manipulative BABIES.
 

Gadfly

Crusader
Re: French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

From the article.

Pouw said Thursday that the church was continuing its missions without any restrictions.

"The environment in the court was so prejudicial that defense attorneys walked out of the proceedings in protest, refusing as a matter of conscience to participate in proceedings that had degenerated into a charade," she said by phone.

It kills me when Scientologists put on the mask of "righteous indignation". It is just so horrendously hypocritical. Like when Tommy Davis stormed off the set of his interview.

They are like crying moaning manipulative BABIES.
 

johnAnchovie

Still raging
Re: French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

Vive La France!!

Thank you for posting this great news, Raf.

I am off to France this summer and I will now do so with even more joy than I had initially anticipated for my trip.
 

Captain Koolaid

Patron Meritorious
She said the group would appeal the decision to the Court of Cassation and plans to bring a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

Something in this sentence by Karin Pouw strikes me as odd. But what? :unsure: Maybe the mafia should also sue the FBI, since the Feds constantly restrict their operations.
 

rafagomezd

Patron
Re: French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

Well alrighty then! Thank you for the update, I was wonderin' how this was going to pan out.
Goes most excellently with morning coffee and bagette! :clap::clap:

Yay Frenchies you ROCK!

dance1.gif


The bawwwww-fest should be monumental too!
Butthurt.jpg


:carryon:
Enjoy the morning Coffee with freedom smell!
 

rafagomezd

Patron
Re: French court upholds Scientology fraud conviction

Vive La France!!

Thank you for posting this great news, Raf.

I am off to France this summer and I will now do so with even more joy than I had initially anticipated for my trip.

GREAT! send me an email to [email protected] I can report for CNN what you record or ask or see on video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great!!!
 

Kutta

Silver Meritorious Patron
Wonnerful! Does this mean there are no further avenues of appeal available to the cult?
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=52770&view=unread#unread

A reminder of the original convictions, fines and sentences.......
*Note 4b and 5b. Sabine Jacquart and Aline Fabre came off worse after the appeal.

Summary:
1. GUILTY Alain Rosenberg. 2 years prison (suspended) 30,000E fine *+
2. GUILTY Didier Michaux 18months Prison (suspended) 20,000E fine *
3. GUILTY Jean-François Valli 18months Prison (suspended) 10,000E fine *
4. GUILTY Sabine Jacquart 10months Prison (suspended) 5,000E fine *+
* increased on appeal 4b. GUILTY Sabine Jacquart 2 years prison (suspended) 30,000E fine *+
5. GUILTY Aline Fabre 2,000E fine ~
* increased on appeal 5b. GUILTY Aline Fabre 10,000E fine ~
6. GUILTY Marie Anne Pasturel 1,000E fine ~
7. GUILTY Celebrity Centre 400,000E fine * Ordered to publish details of judgment.
8. GUILTY Scientology Bookstore 200,000E fine * Ordered to publish details of judgment.
* = organized fraud
+ = complicity in the illegal exercise of pharmacy
~ = illegal exercise of pharmacy
Note: (7) & (8 ) are ordered to pay for the details of the conviction to be published in the major French and English-language news outlets including Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération, the Herald Tribune and Time Magazine – and their websites.
Other individual orders and penalties such as for damages and costs awarded to the plaintiffs add further 27,450 Euros to the total.

articles: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2012/02/04/France_labels_Scientology_a_fraud_714800.html
Wikinews:
Scientology guilty of fraud rules French appeal court
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Scientology ... _id=356056
(could do with some expansion on the detail)

UK Independent/AP (brief)
Church of Scientology loses appeal against French fraud conviction
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 48727.html

Court upholds Scientology fraud ruling in France
The Irish Times - Friday, February 3, 2012
RUADHÁN MAC CORMAIC in Paris
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/wor ... 75786.html

Church of Scientology loses appeal against French fraud conviction
Belfast Telegraph/AP 3rd Feb 2012
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 12928.html
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Wonnerful! Does this mean there are no further avenues of appeal available to the cult?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204662204577199121032995322.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Paris appeals court also ordered the French branch of the Church of Scientology to publish the ruling in five of the country's largest daily newspapers, and gave four of its leaders suspended jail sentences of up to two years, a spokeswoman for the court said.

A lawyer for the Scientology church, Alexis Gulbin, said the U.S.-based organization would challenge the appeals-court ruling before a higher court, the Cour de Cassation.
 

HelluvaHoax!

Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
French Court Labels Scientology a Fraud

...



A French court has slapped a fraud sentence on the Church of Scientology, saying it targets vulnerable people for commercial gain.

The ruling is a major setback for Scientologists in France, and it marks the first time here that the Church of Scientology has been convicted of organised fraud......(full story at link)

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8413846/france-labels-scientology-a-fraud


Predictably, Scientologists tried to handle it by lying, lying, lying.

Here's one of those hilariously entertaining lies....


The court found that Scientology offers "free personality tests which delivered negative results to disturb people and convince them of the need to seek cures."

Recruits are then given "new tests, which again delivered negative results," in order to get recruits to buy more courses, stated the ruling.

The Church of Scientology has branded these accusations as "absolutely ridiculous."
 
Wonnerful! Does this mean there are no further avenues of appeal available to the cult?

Technically no, as this ruling did not occur at the highest level of french court, their equivalent of the u.s. supreme court. There are higher courts in france. Still, getting a higher court to accept an appeal typically requires their agreement to hear the matter and in common law countries (u.s., u.k., etc.) is only based on the identification of some actual legal failing; either in the case, by the magistrate, or by one of the advocates. Generally speaking one of the party's personal dissatisfaction with a ruling is not a sufficient basis for hearing of an appeal at a higher level. The court has to agree that there exists a legal issue about the case which still needs to be addressed. Most likely the french have some similar way of deciding which cases go on to an higher level of appeal. So the church aren't likely to have an easy time trying to appeal further.


Mark A. Baker
 
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