Paris (AFP)
The boss of French rugby Bernard Laporte, suspected of having used his influence in favor of Montpellier, the club of Mohed Altrad, great financier of this sport, was still in police custody on Wednesday morning, we learned from 'a source close to the case who requested anonymity.
The boss of the Altrad group Mohed Altrad, owner of Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) and sponsor of the Blues, was also taken into custody by the financial police, as was the director general of the World-2023 Claude Atcher, and two senior officials of the Federation, Serge Simon and Nicolas Hourquet, detailed Tuesday the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) which leads this preliminary investigation opened in 2017.
Police custody, which takes place at the Economic Crime Repression Brigade (BRDE), began Tuesday morning and can last up to 48 hours.
At the end of the hearings, the national financial prosecutor can decide to continue the preliminary investigation, to open a judicial investigation entrusted to investigating judges, or to put an end to the investigations.
In this case, he can decide to close the case without prosecution or to send the protagonists to trial.
Laporte, 56, is suspected of having favored Montpellier (Top 14) by intervening with the FFR's appeal committee to reduce sanctions against the club at the end of June 2017.
He has always defended himself, even if he admitted to having telephoned the president of the commission, Jean-Daniel Simonet on June 30.
Inspectors general of the Ministry of Sports have also established, in a report sent to justice, that the decisions of the commission were "modified", between June 29 and 30, 2017, on dates related to this phone call.
The boss of French rugby denounced Tuesday a "revolting" judicial calendar in a letter addressed to the clubs, while he is seeking his succession on October 3.
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