French anti-nuclear activist acquitted in defamation case brought by Areva

Anti-nuclear activist, Stéphane Lhomme, president of L'Obsveratoire du nucléaire, was acquitted today by an appeals court of defaming the French corporate nuclear giant Areva. Lhomme had originally been convicted but appealed the decision. In December 2012 he had revealed through documents evidence that Areva had paid the government of Niger (where it mines uranium) 26 milllion euros, of which 15 million had been used to buy a plane for the country's president. The donation and purchase were confirmed by the Niger president. Areva denied that this amounted to corruption. When originally convicted and charged a fine in February 2014, Lhomme was told by the court that he had not proven corruption.