PIP boss released pending trial

Personal injury compensation lawyers Thompsons is leading the campaign for victims of the PIP implant scandal in Scotland, many of whom are understandably upset by the news that the man behind the health scare has been released from jail. Aside from the ongoing civil compensation actions there is a concurrent criminal prosecution against Jean-Claude Mas, the former head of the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

Mas has this week been released from prison under court supervision pending his trial which is expected to take place in Marseilles early next year. Mas is charged with ‘bodily harm’ to thousands of woman and the charges carry a maximum one year jail sentence and fine. One Scottish mother died following a rupture to her PIP implant.

Speculation is rife as to whether Mas will remain in the country to stand trial alongside four other officials from the firm which produced the medical devices and concerns have been raised that his release could lead to him fleeing the country before the long awaited trial.

While the criminal law system is obviously different in France, these charges are in someway analogous to the controversial corporate injury/manslaughter/homicide legislation in the UK.

The effective bail of Mas is unsurprising though it will still be a body blow to those who suffered injury and are seeking compensation in the Scottish court and personal injury redress worldwide. Thompsons represent hundreds of woman who underwent private breast transplants with the faulty implants and have suffered health implications as a result. The next six months will be an anxious time for thousands as the high profile court case approaches.