Jean-Claude Mas, the CEO of French breast implant company Poly Implant Prothese, has been released from custody under court supervision pending his trial next year.
Mas' company was marred in scandal after it was found that they used subgrade materials to manufacture their implants, which were thus prone to rupturing. The company was shuttered in 2010, BBC News reported.
The 73-year-old former head of PIP was jailed in southeastern France in March after he failed to post bail. He has been released under the conditions that he stay within Var and Bouches-du-Rhone regions and checks in once a week with his local police station, Reuters reported.
More from GlobalPost: PIP founder Jean-Claude Mas jailed for failing to pay bail
There are between 400,000 and 500,000 women in 65 countries that are believed to have PIP implants, Agence France Presse reported. Lawyers have said that 20 women with the implants now have cancer, though they have yet to prove there is a concrete link.
Mas faces charges of causing involuntary bodily harm and aggravated fraud, and will go to court April 17 to May 14 next year, along with four other PIP executives, Reuters reported.
The trial is set to involve 180 lawyers and some 4,600 complainants, BBC reported.
More from GlobalPost: 'Breast cancer' reclassified into 10 distinct diseases (VIDEO)
The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?