Church of Scientology Convicted of Fraud in France
he 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.
Scientologists became very active in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami.
Church of Scientology Convicted of Fraud in France
By the Associated Press, October 27, 2009 Paris (AP) — 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 as prosecutors had demanded.
The group’s French branch immediately announced 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. .
However, the court did not order the Church of Scientology to shut down, ruling that it would be likely to continue its activities anyway “outside any legal framework.” .
Prosecutors had urged that the group be dissolved in France and fined euro2 million ($3 million). The verdict is “an Inquisition of modern times,’’ said Scientology spokeswoman Agnes Bron, referring to efforts to rout out heretics of the Roman Catholic Church in centuries past.
The head of an association that helps victims of sects, Catherine Picard, called the verdict “intelligent” Scientology can no longer hide behind freedom of conscience,’’ she said. .