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French trial prosecutors want Laporte and Altrad to serve jail time

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

The prosecution team in the high-profile French rugby trial has outlined at the Paris Criminal Court the punishments it wants to be handed down, with the heaviest sentences requested for Bernard Laporte, the French rugby president, and Mohed Altrad, the Montpellier owner who sponsors the France national team and the All Blacks.

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The five defendants at the corruption trial face a series of allegations relating to their governance of the sport, with Laporte – according to reports – accused of ‘passive corruption’, ‘passive influence peddling’, ‘illegal taking of interests’, ‘breach of trust’ and ‘concealment of abuse of corporate assets’.

Altrad, meanwhile, is accused of ‘influence peddling’, ‘active corruption’ and ‘abuse of corporate assets’, Serge Simon of ‘illegal taking of interests’, Claude Atcher of ‘concealment of breach of trust’, ‘concealed work’ and ‘abuse of social good’, and Benoit Rover of ‘concealment of breach of trust’.

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Addressing court president Rose-Marie Hunault in the hope that the five defendants will eventually be found guilty, prosecutors Celine Guillet and Francois-Xavier Dulin outlined their case and set down the punishments they are looking for from the trial.

A rugbyrama.fr report stated: “At the end of its reasoning, the prosecution requested three years in prison for Bernard Laporte, two of which would be suspended, a fine of €50,000 and a ban on exercising a function in rugby for two years.

“For Mohed Altrad, three years of imprisonment were requested, two of which would be suspended, a fine of €200,000, a ban on managing a commercial company for two years and a ban on exercising a function in rugby for two years. For Claude Atcher, a two-year prison sentence, one of which was suspended, a fine of €50,000 euros and a three-year ban on managing any commercial company were requested.

“For Serge Simon, a one-year prison sentence was requested, including six months suspended, a €10,000 fine as well as a ban on having a function in rugby for two years. For Benoit Rover, a year’s imprisonment including six months suspended, as well as a three-year ban on managing a company was requested.”

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The public prosecutor said. “You will have to pronounce, Madam President, a sentence for each of them. This sentence must be pronounced in proportion to the offences committed. These people have damaged the probity that surrounds French rugby.

“Nothing is excluded that in a similar situation, the defendants will still act in the same way. Bernard Laporte put his energy at the service of the FFR and Mr Altrad, violating the cardinal principle of the independence of a disciplinary committee.”

Laporte’s lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, declared: “Despite my 57 years in the profession, I can still be surprised by an indictment. But anything that is excessive is insignificant. From our side, we will ask for release. For thirty years, Bernard Laporte has been winning. He is therefore a target and in the eyes of all, he is suspect. Mr Altrad? He is suspect because he is a billionaire and successful in business.”

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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