Eric Roux, head of the Paris Celebrity Center of the Scientology Association (ASES-CC) speaks to journalists as he arrives at Paris Court in May 25, 2009, for the trial of the Church of Scientology, classified as a sect, with seven of its members for illegally prescribing drugs. The charges stem from a case taken by a woman who said she paid the church more than 20,000 euros (28,000 dollars) for lessons, books, drugs and an "electrometer," a device which the church says can measure a person's mental state. Founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology, which has attracted Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise, was officially recognised as a religion there 20 years later.