"
I do not see where the problem is
": Bernard Laporte tried on Tuesday to convince the court that the flocking of the jersey of the XV of France in the name of the Altrad group from 2017 was unrelated to the contract which then bound him to the construction giant .
According to the prosecution, the chronology of the facts demonstrates on the contrary the existence of a pact of corruption.
It was on February 19, 2017 that the president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) signed a contract with the holding company of his friend Mohed Altrad under the terms of which 180,000 euros were paid to him, in exchange for services that will never be performed.
Three weeks later, the federation chose to display Altrad's name on the Les Bleus jersey, in return for the payment of 1.8 million euros, as part of a partnership linked to the French bid for the Coupe du world 2023. And at the beginning of 2018, the group became the official jersey sponsor, against the payment of 6.8 million euros per year and under a partnership that still exists today.
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The former coach of the Blues claims it: the choice of Altrad is linked to the simple fact that the group was the only one to compete or that its offer was the highest.
"
This company wanted to give money and it was the only one
", he assures, about the first sponsorship contract of 2017. In a letter from April 2017 read to the hearing, the historical partners of the Bleus (BMW, Orange, SocGen and GMF) were however surprised by the arrival of a new player “
without prior consultation
”.
- “
What is the urgency that led you to seek (the group, editor’s note) that you know?
asks President Rose-Marie Hunault.
The FFR would not be required, excluding TV and equipment manufacturer rights, to issue calls for tenders
- "
Me, I'm here for the federation to earn money, not to favor Pierre, Paul or Jacques
", retorts Mr. Laporte who recalls that the FFR is not required, apart from TV rights and equipment manufacturer, to pass tenders.
The president insists: did the leader not see the risk of conflict of interest in view of the ties that united him to Altrad?
If you have to give up doing business with all the partners of the France team, "
it still limits a lot
", tries the manager, who must however admit that there are no more than a "
ten
".
“
So that’s not a lot
,” slices the president.
"I'm the one saying no!"
The court then comes to the summer of 2017 when discussions begin on the sponsorship of the Blues shirt.
A first round of funding at 9.9 million euros per year does not make money and the holding company of the Altrad group then offers 5.1 million.
“
I'm the one saying no!
It's not enough.
And then the partners had refused 9.9 million, so we had to redo a consultation
, ”claims Mr. Laporte.
Elements of the file, however, undermine his version.
At the same time, his co-defendant Claude Atcher, who is participating in the negotiations for the FFR, indicates in an email that an “
agreement in principle
” has already been reached with Altrad.
“
It is not Bernard Laporte who says that
”, defends the leader, speaking of him in the third person.
“
I am totally against this email
”.
The Federation will eventually launch a call for tenders at the end of October 2017, on the advice of Mr. Altrad himself.
Did the businessman benefit from privileged information from the FFR which enabled him to win the call for tenders? Asks the president.
Ambiguities remain
“
Of course not
,” replies Mr. Laporte.
But ambiguities remain.
Wanting a legal opinion on the call for tenders, the boss of the FFR then called on a specialized lawyer … who became, at the same time, an adviser for Altrad.
“
It is not possible to be on both sides of the barrier
,” argues Mr. Laporte, claiming to have immediately ended the mission of the lawyer.
The president, however, reminds him of a singular fact: it was he himself who had given the name of this lawyer to Mohed Altrad, who was looking for an expert on calls for tenders.
“
Do you have a problem with that?
“says the president.
The debates continued with the hearing of Mohed Altrad.