Former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom has explained why he fled Dublin within hours of learning an international arrest warrant had been issued against him.
Elsom, who returned to the Irish capital more than a decade after leading Leinster to a famous European Cup triumph, feared he’d be left “rotting in a prison cell” if he stayed.
The 41-year-old was recently sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for alleged misuse of corporate assets during his time as president of French rugby club Narbonne.
Charges include backdating contracts, illegal fund transfers, and unauthorised salary advances, with Elsom ordered to repay 705,000 euros.
Though he’d been advised that the extradition would take weeks, Elsom decided to leave Dublin without delay, a move he explained on The Roar Rugby podcast was vital to his ability to defend himself.
“I left because it would put me in a situation where I would be detained in custody and the Irish would be more or less obliged to extradite me to France,” Elsom told The Roar Rugby podcast. “That would make it a lot more difficult for me to be able to defend myself from inside a police station or wherever I would be in custody.”
Since the news of his legal troubles broke, Elsom has sought to make his case public, insisting his innocence and that the French legal process has denied him the presumption of innocence.
While he didn’t deny the events outlined in the court’s findings, Elsom disputed the context and consequences. He insisted that he’s being scapegoated for issues that arose long after his departure from Narbonne, which saw the club relegated two years after he left.
“As much as you just want to say you didn’t do it, those things definitely happened,” he explained. “But who is the victim here? Where have they been able to prove that the club was disadvantaged by it? And pivotally, how did those actions lead to the relegation of the club two years after I left in 2018? And that’s a key factor in the case.”
Elsom added that he’s determined to clear his name.
“I haven’t been able to categorically refute anything because I haven’t seen the allegations until a few days ago,” Elsom said. “When you look into the detail, it supports me. So I need to try and get that out as much as possible.”
Photo by Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
