Paris (AFP)

The boss of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Bernard Laporte, is summoned Tuesday before the financial police to be heard in the investigation into his links with the president of the Montpellier club, Mohed Altrad, told AFP his lawyer, who denounces an "interference" in the campaign for the presidency of the FFR.

Laporte will be heard by the Economic Crime Repression Brigade (BRDE) as part of a preliminary investigation opened in 2017 by the national financial prosecutor's office, then the recipient of a report from the inspectors general of the Ministry of Sports.

In question, the pressure he would have exerted on the federation's appeal committee to reduce in June 2017 the sanctions pronounced against Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR), the club owned by the Altrad group, also sponsor of the French team.

On August 13, 2017, the JDD also revealed the existence of a contract for 150,000 euros of image services between BL Communication, a company managed by Laporte, and Altrad Investment Authority, a contract which the boss of French rugby had finally renounced. .

Bernard Laporte's lawyer, Me Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi lamented that the hearing took place around ten days before the elections for the presidency of the federation, where the former Secretary of State for Sports (2007-2009 ) is running for a second term, facing its main opponent Florian Grill.

"Searches were carried out (at the headquarters of the FFR) in February 2018, one could imagine that he would be heard in September 2018, this would have left investigators seven months to analyze the documents. However, he was summoned two years later , in the middle of the campaign, while the prosecutor knows the electoral calendar of the federation since August 2019, "said Bernard Laporte's advice.

"It is the blatant interference of a judicial process in an electoral process", he added, affirming that "the prosecutor refused, without reason, to change the date".

A previous hearing, set earlier in the year, had been postponed "because of the health restrictions of the Covid-19, otherwise he would have gone there", added Me Versini-Campinchi.

The lawyer said his client would attend the hearing on Tuesday.

As part of the investigation, the three members of the federal appeal commission have already been heard in 2019.

© 2020 AFP