PARIS - A Paris judge has ruled that a case against the Church of Scientology alleging fraud and illegal practice of medicine cannot go to trial due to lack of progress in the 13-year investigation, judicial officials said Tuesday.
Judge Colette Bismuth-Sauron ruled Friday that a statute of limitations had expired in the case, the officials said, speaking on condition their names not be used.
An investigation against 16 leaders of the church was opened in 1989 stemming from a complaint filed by a former Scientologist, Juan Esteban Cordero.
He accused the group of "progressive mental conditioning" that led him to spend more than 1.12 million francs (170,000 euros, dlrs 167,000) on Scientology-related courses.
However, in 1998, hundreds of documents that were to be used as evidence in the case went missing from the Justice Ministry, sending shock waves through French legal circles.
The judge handling the case at that time, Marie-Paule Moracchini, was taken off the inquiry after the documents were never found. An investigation into her role failed to shed any light on what happened to the files, but further stalled the case.
Government prosecutors had argued in favor of the case going to trial.
A lawyer for the civil parties to the case, Olivier Morice, said he would appeal Friday's decision.
A spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology, Agnes Bron, said the church was "overjoyed by this victory after so many years."
The church "believes it is now time to end this witch hunt," she said.
France has long had a contentious relationship with the Church of Scientology, which is seeking recognition as a legitimate religion in Europe. In France, it figures on a list of nearly 200 groups to be tracked to prevent cult activities.
In May, a French court fined the church for a data protection violation. The court ruled that it was not guilty of allegations of attempted fraud and false advertising in connection with its efforts to recruit and keep members.
Scientologists likened the trial to a witch hunt and say their faith is a religion like any other.
The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, which counts actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members, was founded in 1954 by L. Ron Hubbard. It teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. It claims to have 40,000 members in France.