French authorities have filed preliminary charges against the former head of a now-defunct company embroiled in a scandal over possibly faulty breast implants affecting thousands of women.
A lawyer for Jean-Claude Mas said a judge in the city of Marseille placed the Poly Implant Prothese company founder under investigation for “involuntary injury”.
Mr Mas, who was arrested yesterday, was released on €100,000 bail.
Defence lawyer Yves Haddad also said that an investigating magistrate has ordered Mr Mas (72) to stay in France and not meet any other former PIP executives.
The preliminary charges mean investigating magistrates have strong reason to believe a crime was committed but gives them more time to investigate to decide whether to recommend it goes to trial.
The suspect PIP implants have been removed from the marketplace in several countries in and beyond Europe amid fears that they could rupture and leak silicone into the body.
Mr Mas was arrested at his residence in a Mediterranean coastal resort town as part of a judicial investigation into manslaughter and involuntary injury. PIP’s former No 2, Claude Couty, was also detained.
Police investigators searched the Mas residence and held him for questioning for seven hours before he was transferred to appear before investigating judge Annaick Le Goff at a Marseille court.
Mr Mas did not speak to reporters after being released on bail.
“Mr Mas was finally able to express himself before the judge. He is relieved to have been able to do so,” Mr Haddad said. “The magistrate judged that for now there’s no reason to charge him for manslaughter because for the moment, there’s no sign of evidence of this crime.”
“Calm must return to this case,” he added.
On a sole charge of involuntary injury, Mr Mas faces up to a year in prison if convicted. That is not sufficient to allow Ms Le Goff to order him held in custody before trial.
The arrests ended weeks of speculation about whether investigators would be able to assemble enough evidence to detain Mr Mas - whose location was known to authorities - or any other possible suspects on legal grounds.
Mr Mas had run PIP until the company was closed in March 2010.
France’s Health Safety Agency has said the suspect implants - just one type of implants made by PIP - appear to be more rupture-prone than other types. Investigators say PIP sought to save money by using industrial silicone, whose potential health risks are not yet clear.
PIP’s website said the company had exported to more than 60 countries and was one of the world’s leading implant makers.
According to estimates by national authorities, more than 42,000 women in Britain received the implants, more than 30,000 in France, 9,000 in Australia, 4,000 in Italy, and nearly 25,000 in Brazil.
AP