PIP rat on injury charge
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| Held ... Jean-Claude Mas |
THE corrupt businessman who sold toxic breast implants was charged last night after two months on the run.
Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was accused of unintentional wounding — and then FREED on bail of 100,000 euros (£83,000).
He had been arrested during a dramatic police raid on the £1million villa he shares with "companion" Dominique Lucciardi, 66, in the South of France.
Mas also faces a manslaughter inquiry and could be sued by hundreds of women across 65 countries who suffered cancer and ruptures after having breast implants.
He vanished at the end of last year when his PIP implants were found to contain dangerous industrial-grade silicone — meant to be used as a mattress filler. An estimated 400,000 sets were sold — including to about 40,000 women in the UK — making Mas a multi-million pound profit.
In an interview last year he boasted to police how he told staff to hide the illegal industrial silicone when inspectors visited his factory.
Mas bragged that PIP deceived safety inspectors for 13 years.
His former chief financial officer Claude Couty was also arrested yesterday. French officials banned the implants in 2010 over rupture fears. Several countries are advising women to remove them, but the Department of Health says only those that rupture or cause pain need taking out.
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| Under arrest ... Jean-Claude Mas is driven away yesterday after swoop |
- PRIVATE health firms Transform and the Hospital Group yesterday agreed to remove PIP implants free. But both are charging up to £2,500 to replace them.
