opening of the trial of Bernard Laporte and the barons of French rugby

One year before the Rugby World Cup organized in France, from September 8 to October 28, 2023, the staff of the tricolor Ovalie is gathered in the courtrooms for two weeks of hearing. From Wednesday September 7 to Thursday September 22, five barons of the discipline are judged by the 32^e chamber of the Paris Criminal Court during a highly publicized trial.

After four years of investigation, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) summoned Bernard Laporte, President of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) since December 2016, former successful coach of the XV of France (1999-2007) and former Secretary of State for Sports under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2009), for ” illegal taking of interests”, “passive influence peddling by a public official”, “passive corruption by a public official”, “concealment of abuse of corporate assets”, “breach of trust” and “abuse of corporate assets” .

President and owner of the Montpellier Hérault Rugby club since 2011 and jersey sponsor of the XV of France, the entrepreneur and billionaire Mohed Altrad, is himself fired for “active influence peddling”, “active corruption” and “misuse of corporate assets”. Vice-president of the FFR and right-hand man of Mr. Laporte since 2016, Serge Simon appears, him, for “illegal taking of interests”.

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In a separate file concerning his company Score XV, provider of the FFR, Claude Atcher, director general of the public interest group (GIP) France 2023, in charge of the organization of the Rugby World Cup in France, is tried for “concealment of breach of trust”, “misuse of corporate assets” and “concealed work by dissimulation of activity”. The leader is summoned to the bar when he was suspended as a precaution from his position as general manager of GIP France 2023, at the end of August, by the Ministry of Sports until the end of a d administrative inquiry into its managerial practices.

A long-time associate of Claude Atcher and “legal manager” of Score XV, Benoît Rover is also summoned to appear by the PNF for “complicity in the misuse of corporate assets. »

Disclosure of private contract

At the origin of the Laporte-Altrad file, which will be at the heart of the trial, is an image contract concluded for a period of one year, on February 19, 2017, for 180,000 euros (taxes included) between BL Communication, a company of Bernard Laporte, and Altrad Investments Authority (AIA), holding company of the Altrad group. Said contract, the principle of which was ratified in the summer of 2016, i.e. before the election of Bernard Laporte as head of the FFR, provides, among other things, for the transfer of the latter’s image rights and his participation in four seminars or communication operations organized by Mr. Altrad.

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