They were the other two men taken into custody on Tuesday.
The former captain of the XV of France Jean-Pierre Rives and another ex-international rugby player, Denis Charvet, were heard by the investigators of the Service of judicial investigations of finances (SEJF), as Rugbyrama indicated on Tuesday.
The latter is in charge of investigations opened in August 2020 by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) around suspicions of money laundering of aggravated tax fraud.
A file in which was also questioned Tuesday in police custody the president of the French Rugby Federation, Bernard Laporte, currently in withdrawal.
Released free and without prosecution at this stage at the end of the day, the three men are partners in a company "CLR Holding", whose name takes up the first letter of each of their surnames.
According to information from France Info, a flow of money of five million euros towards the accounts of this company in 2010 attracted the attention of the anti-money laundering service of Bercy, Tracfin.
The latter then alerted the prosecution to this sum, which was not declared to the tax authorities.
Where did the money go?
The SEJF is trying to determine whether this money, which comes from a relative of a member of the trio, is a gift or a loan, not taxable.
And also seeks to know where this sum was invested by the holding company.
“Investigators are seeking to verify the origin of this donation of an amount of around 3 million euros
,
affirms for his part to L’Equipe
Me Gryner, lawyer for Denis Charvet.
And if Mr. Charvet knew about this donation which made it possible to bail out the company
.
»
“It would be a donation granted more than 12 years ago to a former rugby player friend and associate of Bernard Laporte, a donation which would not have been regularly declared to the tax authorities, explained Tuesday in a press release Me Thierry Nesa, tax lawyer for Bernard Laporte.
It is established that Bernard Laporte did not receive any sum and is only involved as a partner.
Master Thierry Nesa confirms that neither the French Rugby Federation nor Rugby in general can be impacted by this private file.
»
Sentenced in December to two years in prison suspended in a corruption case, Bernard Laporte was forced to withdraw from his post as president of the FFR, under pressure from the Ministry of Sports.
The clubs decide from Monday to Thursday whether or not to ratify the appointment of Patrick Buisson, its vice-president in charge of amateur rugby, as deputy president.
