Fresh new information has shed light on why Australian rugby union hero, Rocky Elsom was sentenced to five years in jail after he had been convicted of embezzling money while acting as the president of French side Racing Club Narbonne nearly 10 years ago.
An international arrest warrant was issued for the former Wallabies back-rower after he was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for misuse of corporate assets.
The 41-year-old, who won 75 caps for the Wallabies during his playing career, had also been ordered to repay $1.1million in compensation.
The Narbonne Criminal Court found him guilty of forgery, the use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets during his time at the club between 2015 and 2016.
Elsom has vehemently denied the shock claims and has, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, filed an opposition to the court’s charges. A hearing has been scheduled for November 15.
The outlet claims to have seen a 17-page charge sheet which outlines the case being made against the former rugby union star. The charges have been collated by Magistrate Melodie Fabre and claim that Elsom had a payment from Heineken sent to a company in his own name and had paid advances to several players. He is also alleged to have backdated a doctor’s contract.
In the document, Fabre alleges to have found that Elsom made multiple payments while the club was undergoing serious financial difficulties. The document adds that those payments were made ‘in order to benefit his circle of friends and serve his own interests.’
Ex-Australian rugby star Rocky Elsom has been sentenced to five years in jail by a French court
Fresh details on the case have emerged alleging that Elsom made advance payments to players
It is also understood that the document details multiple complaints made against Elsom by club officials who succeeded him when he left in 2016. They also feature some witness accounts from members of staff which weigh in favour of Elsom’s argument against the claims.
‘At worst, it shows there might be a fragile civil case put against me if [the claims were] correct, but certainly there are no criminal offences here and nothing that I would say was detrimental to the club,’ he said, speaking on the case being made against him.
Player payments
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the court filing suggest that Elsom had paid advances and pay rises to multiple players before giving up his role as an executive Narbonne.
The documents allege that he had handed an advance of €42,600 ($70,545.39) to ex-Wallabies halfback Brett Sheehan. He had also bumped up ex-Waratah’s star Daniel Halangahu’s monthly salary from €1,946.27 ($3,223.01) to a whopping €16,692.82 ($27643.23) per month.
Several other payments are said to have been made, including:
- A payment of €79,200 ($13,1154.80) to Australian halfback Chris Whitaker;
- a loan was also handed to Brumbies and Wallabies hooker Huia Edmonds of around €45,000 ($74,519.77);
- payments of €26,483 ($43,855.72) to ex-Brumbies star Tom Boidin; and
- a check of €17,110 ($28,334.07) to analyst Warwick Harrington.
Other claims have involved a backdated doctor’s contract and claims that Elsom had accepted a payment to a company he had a stake in on behalf of Heineken
It is understood that the payments were made over 15 days and totalled €293,513.72 ($486,057.25).
Explaining the payments, Elsom had stated that it was normal for advances to be paid in July marking the new season.
The doctor’s contract
The document also alleges forgery charges against the former flanker in relation to a club doctor’s contract.
Samy Djabelkhir penned a new contract with the club for the 2016-17 season, with Elsom allowing the doctor to take paid leave during the first few weeks of his contract.
After returning from holiday, the doctor was dismissed with club officials telling him he wasn’t aware of the contract and had been dismissed.
The court stated that the doctor’s contract had been backdated by six days.
But Elsom refused claims that there was any wrongdoing.
‘It is ridiculous to suggest anyone committed forgery by signing on a document that accurately reflected his continuous employment,’ he said.
Heineken
The case also involves payments made by two different beer companies in relation to the club.
The first involved a sponsorship deal with Heineken. The Dutch brewer had made a €40,000 ($66,239.80) payment to the rugby club that had not been recorded on their books.
Instead, the payment had been made to RCNM Investments, a company he co-owned and had a stake in the footy club.
Elsom claimed that the payment had been made before he became the club’s president.
‘For the avoidance of doubt, RCNM Investments never made any payments to shareholders and only paid RCNM the rugby club or suppliers who provided a good or service to the club,’ Elsom said.
The second transaction involved a payment that was made to Beer Clear, a UK-based bar equipment manufacturer.
The company was linked to former London Irish and Tonga international Chris Hala’ufia, who had previously been lent a Land Rover Defender by the club – which was allegedly never returned.
The club had paid 37,503 to Beer Clear but no service was provided.
Some who worked alongside him at the club have claimed that Narbonne was in a good state under Elsom financially
‘I paid the deposit in the agreement [with Beer Clear], which was to supply beer and bar equipment,’ Elsom stated. ‘[The club] didn’t honour the agreement, so no goods were provided.’
Among other claims in the document, Elsom has maintained that the club was in better shape during the latter stages of his tenure at the club.
He had also been backed by Michael Bouchier, a former executive at Narbonne.
‘It is in my honest opinion that Mr Elsom’s financial stewardship, over the three seasons he was the club’s majority owner, [was] a remarkable success in very difficult and trying circumstances,’ Bouchier said.
He added: ‘As RCNM spent millions of euros more in each season after Mr Elsom’s departure, any claim that RCNM was in a precarious financial position at the time of handover, was factually inaccurate and defies logic.’
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