La secte scientologue cherche à échapper à la mort civile | 24 heures
Quick translation of an article in French on a Swiss website:
Scientology sect trying to escape civil death
FRANCE | Prosecution calls for dissolution. Scientology lawyers condemn "a political decision".
Jean-Noël Cuénod | Paris | June 17, 2009 | 00:02 (Swiss time)
Will Scientology in France survive the trial which ends today in Paris? The two substitute prosecutors have requested the dissolution - as a legal entity - of the Spiritual Association of the Church of Scientology and its bookstore, the SEL. These are the two main entities of the sect in France.
Liquidation or dissolution?
In addition, the prosecution asked the three judges of the 12th Correctional Chamber to return a guilty verdict against seven French Scientology officials who are accused of organized fraud. All the requested sentences are suspended, but in certain cases the prosecutors requested a deprivation of civil rights.
In previous editions, we discussed the possible liquidation of the sect if it were convicted as a legal entity. The prosecution went even further by calling for dissolution. The distinction between liquidation and dissolution is more than academic.
Liquidation is ordered by a commercial court and does not necessarily prevent revival in other forms. Dissolution, however, entails the civil death of the affected business, party, or sect. Reviving a dissolved entity is a criminal offense. French law severely sanctions the "reconstitution of a dissolved association": the maximum penalty is three years imprisonment and 45,000 euros (over 67,000 Swiss francs).
This provision dates back to the Popular Front government in 1936 and its purpose was to ban far-right leagues. It was also used by General de Gaulle in May 1968 to ban far-left groups!
This explains the anxiety of the many Scientology lawyers who roamed the corridors of the Palais de Justice in Paris yesterday afternoon, issuing numerous comments accompanied by impressive movements of their black moiré sleeves.
An abrupt change of course
The principal defender of the sect, Patrick Maisonneuve, shared his indignation with us. "The public prosecutor's office initially decided to dismiss this case because of its weakness. It was the Court of Appeal that decided to hold this trial. What we are witnessing is a complete reversal on the part of the prosecution. A case that was groundless is now supposed to end with a civil death sentence! Since the prosecution is connected with the government, it's obvious that this change of course is political. The authorities in power are presently trying to curry favor with anti-sectarian organizations."
The lawyers defending Scientology will continue until this evening to try to win acquittals that would permit the survival of the sect. To learn the outcome of this case, they will have to be patient: the verdict of the 12th Correctional Chamber will only be delivered this autumn.