World Rugby responds to shocking corruption ruling

On Tuesday, a French court sentenced French Rugby Federation (FFR) president Bernard Laporte to a two-year suspended term on corruption charges, less than a year before France hosts the sport’s World Cup.

Laporte was convicted after it was determined that he had shown favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsorship contract for the national side to Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of top French club Montpellier.

Laporte is also vice-chairman of the sport’s global governing body.

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World Rugby has now released the following statement:

World Rugby notes the decision by World Rugby Vice-Chairman Bernard Laporte to self-suspend from all positions held within its governance structures with immediate effect following his conviction by the French court in relation to domestic matters, and pending his appeal.

While acknowledging Laporte’s self-suspension and right of appeal, given the serious nature of the verdict World Rugby’s Executive Committee has referred the matter to its independent ethics officer for review in accordance with its integrity code.

World Rugby will not be making further comment until the conclusion of the independent process.

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AFP has provided the following details on the ruling:

The court found that Laporte ensured a series of marketing decisions favourable to Altrad — who was given an 18-month suspended sentence and 50,000 euro fine — in exchange for a 180,000 euro ($191,000) image licensing contract that was never actually carried out…

According to the charges, which his defence said were “trumped up”, Laporte carried out illegal influence-peddling and passive corruption, mostly for the benefit of Altrad.

The two men’s friendship and business links are at the heart of the case.

It goes back to February 2017, when they signed a deal under which Laporte, head of the FFR, agreed to appear in Altrad group conferences, and sold his image reproduction rights, in return for the 180,000 euros.

But while that sum was indeed paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he never actually provided the services he signed up for.

Laporte did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed a 1.8-million-euro deal with the businessman making his namesake firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team’s jerseys.

Even now, Altrad’s logo features on the shirts thanks to a follow-up deal negotiated by Laporte in 2018 and which prosecutors say bears all the hallmarks of corruption.

Laporte, formerly a highly successful coach who guided France twice to the World Cup semi-finals (2003 and 2007), was also found guilty of favouritism with regards to Altrad’s Montpellier Herault Rugby (MHR) club.

He was convicted for intervening with French rugby’s federal disciplinary commission to reduce a fine against MHR to 20,000 euros — it was originally 70,000 euros — after several telephone calls from Laporte.

While prosecutors saw this and several more incidents as proof of illicit favouritism, Laporte himself had claimed there was no “cause-effect relationship”.

On the last day of the trial in October, Laporte’s lawyer Fanny Colin accused the prosecution of “confirmation bias” by “taking into account only elements backing their original assumptions”.

The verdict comes only nine months before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France on September 8, 2023, with matches played in nine stadiums across the country.

© Agence France-Presse