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Breast Implant Boss Facing Charges In France


Jean-Claude Mas leaves a court in Marseille on January 26.
Jean-Claude Mas leaves a court in Marseille on January 26.
The French owner of a company at the center of a breast implant scandal affecting tens of thousands of women worldwide is now facing French criminal charges of "involuntary injury."

Yves Haddad, a lawyer for Jean-Claude Mas, said his client had been freed on bail of 100,000 euros ($130,000)following his arrest on January 26.

Mas is the founder of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), which is accused of using low-grade gel in its implants in place of specialist medical materials.

The implants have been pulled from the market in several European countries and elsewhere.

French doctors have registered 20 cases of cancer among women fitted with the implants, most of them with breast cancer, although reports say no direct causal link has been established yet.

compiled from agency reports

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