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Rocky Elsom has broken his silence following his international arrest warrant, saying he’s innocent and has been “targeted as a scapegoat” by the French club he led a decade ago.
The former Wallabies captain, who featured at two World Cups and became a cult hero in Ireland after a successful season for Leinster, burst back into the international headlines on Friday after being sentenced to prison for five years in his absence by a French court for misuse of corporate assets.
Despite years of rumours surrounding the reason for Racing Club de Narbonne Méditerannée liquidation in 2018, Elsom was left stunned by his arrest warrant after leaving the French Pro D2 in a strong position two years earlier.
“I would like to make it clear that I was not informed of this hearing and was not given the opportunity to defend myself against the allegations,” Elsom said in the statement provided to The Roar.
Rocky Elsom says he’s innocent and has engaged a French lawyer to fight his five-year imprisonment. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)
The court found Elsom guilty of forgery, the use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets and ordered him to pay back a total of €700,000 (AU$1.13 million) that he was judged to have embezzled.
French lawyer Patrick Tabet also claimed that Elsom was found to have made a “completely unjustified” payment of €79,000 ($128,000) to a former coach. He also claimed Elsom paid a €7,200 ($11,670) monthly salary to an Australian resident who “never came to Narbonne” to act as general manager who “did not provide any services” to the club.
Elsom, 41, returned to Ireland recently ahead of pre-planned surgery and spent recent weeks coaching in Dublin at Catholic University School after asking former teammate turned Leinster coach Leo Cullen he was in the region and eager to lend a hand.
After word filtered out across Dublin that the former backrower was in the city, Elsom gave a rare interview to Ireland’s The Sunday Times newspaper earlier this month.
Less than a week later, Elsom was told he had been sentenced to five years in prison despite prosecutors pushing for just two years.
“Not allowing me to defend the charges, is a clear perversion of justice,” Elsom said.
“I have little more information on the evidence that was presented in the hearing [other] than [what] is in the public domain. So, I can only address the allegations that have been raised publicly.
“I ask the public to consider the legitimacy of any process that does not allow for the involvement of the person being prosecuted.
“I have been contactable via my email address and phone number, yet it appears the court process was fast-tracked after an article appeared recently in The Sunday Times. This article gave my location, occupation and upcoming scheduled events.
“I have not been questioned in this matter and the lengthy process seems to have deliberately excluded me from giving evidence.”
Elsom added: “In the interests of a fair and just process, I would ask Mr Tabet to send me a complete list of the documents and filings he used to secure the reported five-year prison sentence.”
Elsom has engaged a French lawyer to appeal his conviction.
(l-r) Leinster’s Rocky Elsom, Brian O’Driscoll, Felipe Contepomi and Gordon D’Arcy with the Heineken Cup (Photo by Joe Giddens – PA Images via Getty Images)
The former Waratahs and Brumbies back-rower, who played the last of his 75 Tests for the Wallabies in the 2011 World Cup semi-final as a 28-year-old, claims he left the club in a strong position before it ultimately was relegated from the second division in 2018.
Elsom defended his financial record at the club, saying it had recorded profits of €358,000 in season 2013-14, €400,000 in 2014-15 and a loss of €350,000 in 2015-16.
He also pointed to a number of records the club had secured under his leadership, including the most wins in a season, the only recorded undefeated home season and the highest annual attendance for a Pro D2 season.
However, the club did go from making the playoffs in his first season in charge to finishing 11th out of 16 in his final year in 2015-2016.
“In my three years running RCNM as its majority shareholder, the club performed remarkably well financially,” Elsom said in the statement.
“Furthermore, the subscription to the share issue I decided on, raised a further EUR 400,000 in cash for RCNM’s benefit in 2016.
“The facts above can only be confused if media reports are to be believed over the official public record.
“I would like to point out that under my ownership RCNM re-wrote almost every desirable record in the club’s 100-year history. A stark contrast to the administration that preceded me.”
The Roar understands Elsom’s relationship with the club soured after the Australian rejected an advance from Middle Eastern investment in 2015.
Former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom claims he’s been “targeted as a scapegoat” by his former club in France. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Whether or not Irish police come knocking on Elsom’s door remains to be seen, but the Leinster star said he was focussed on providing the appropriate evidence to clear his name.
“If an international arrest warrant is passed on to the Irish authorities they are obliged to do that – that would mean I would be detained,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“Then I would be detained until they had another hearing – I wouldn’t put it past them to delay that hearing for a while but I just have to focus on what I am doing to clear my name.”
Elsom has stayed out of the limelight since finishing up in Australian rugby.
He resides on the Sunshine Coast and lives a private life.
He has been in contact with close friends in Australia in recent days.
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