POUJADE FINED FOR SLANDER

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27873, 23 January 1956, Page 11

POUJADE FINED FOR SLANDER

Sequel To Election

Soeech

(Rec. 8 p.m.) PARIS. January 21. Mr Pierre Poujade. leader of France’s anti-tax movement. was fined 500.000 francs (about £500) today for slandering the President of the last National Assembly. Mr Pierre Schneiter. Mr Poujade was also ordered to pay Mr Schneiter one franc in token damages, as requested bv Mr Schneiter’s lawyers, and to pay for publication of the verdict in five newspapers. Mr Schneiter had alleged that in speeches during the election campaign which won Mr Poujade’s movement 52 seats in the assembly. Mr Poujade had accused him of instigating murder. The maximum sentence possible was up to six months* gaol and a fine of 10.000.000 francs (about £10,000) for slandering a Member of Parliament. Mr Poujade was alleged to have said that Mr Schneiter instigated the murder of a woman collaborator in 1944. He said the woman knew something about the disappearance of money parachuted to members of the French Resistance by the British. Mr Poujade told the Court: “I read a letter from my friend, Leon Dupont which gave certain information to the public, prosecutor of Chalons-sur-Marne.” He said he had never stated himself that the fact was true. “I always left that in doubt.” Mr Schneiter has already been awarded 400,000 francs (about £400) damages from Mr Dupont for miking these allegations.