- Bernard Laporte was found guilty of corruption by French court.
- Bernard Laporte resigned from his position as vice chairman of World Rugby.
- Mohed Altrad was given an 18-month suspended sentence and €50,000 fine.
After being found guilty of corruption, the head of the French rugby federation was hit with a fine and given a suspended sentence of two years in prison.
After the judgement was handed down by the court in Paris on Tuesday, Bernard Laporte resigned from his position as vice chairman of World Rugby.
It was determined that he was guilty of passive corruption, illicit interest taking, influence peddling, and misuse of business assets. Laporte was given a two-year suspension from holding any role in rugby and a $75,000 punishment for his actions.
The decision was reached only eight months before France was scheduled to host the Rugby World Cup in September of 2023.
The reports claims that Laporte showed favouritism when he awarded a shirt sponsor contract to his close friend Mohed Altrad, who is also the billionaire owner of the Top 14 team Montpellier.
In addition, the court found Altrad responsible for active corruption, influence peddling, and misuse of corporate assets. As a result of these convictions, Altrad was given an 18-month term with a suspended sentence and a €50,000 fine. According to a statement released by World Rugby, Laporte has come to the conclusion that he will “self-suspend from all roles held under its governance structures with immediate effect.”
The incident has been sent to the independent ethics officer of the global governing body for further investigation. The French minister of sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, stated that the punishment of Laporte had placed him in an impossible situation, and she urged the French federation to take more action.
The legal representation for Laporte has suggested that they will be appealing the decision. Both men have stated that they did nothing wrong. In 2017, the head of French rugby was accused of exerting improper influence over the board of directors of the French rugby federation to lessen the penalties imposed on Montpellier.
As part of a government investigation into the management of the organising committee for the 2023 Rugby World Cup to be held in France, financial prosecutors conducted a raid on the headquarters of the organising committee in November.
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