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An international arrest warrant has been issued for Australian ex-rugby star Rocky Elsom following a conviction for embezzlement in France, French media say.<\/p>\n
The former captain of Australia’s national team was president of RC Narbonne, one of country’s most prestigious clubs, in 2015-16. On Friday a court found him guilty of misappropriating a total of \u20ac700,000 (\u00a3586,000).<\/p>\n
Elsom was convicted in absentia and given a five-year-prison sentence, according to French media.<\/p>\n
He recently told Sunday Times newspaper that he was living in the Irish capital Dublin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In the interview with the British outlet, published on 6 October, Elsom said he was coaching at the Catholic University School, a private school for boys in Dublin. He said planned to live in the city until December. <\/p>\n
A sporting celebrity in Ireland, the 41-year-old, played for Leinster Rugby in the late 2000s and helped the team win the Heineken Cup, Europe’s top club rugby tournament, in 2009.<\/p>\n
He also appeared 75 times for Australia’s national team – nicknamed the Wallabies – between 2005 and 2011. After his retirement he was part of a consortium that bought RC Narbonne.<\/p>\n
The French court convicted Elsom of abusing corporate assets and forging documents during his time as president of the club, local media reports say.<\/p>\n
A lawyer involved in the case, Patrick Tabet, is quoted by Ouest-France newspaper as saying that Elsom made a “completely unjustified” payment of \u20ac79,000 to a former coach and gave a monthly salary of \u20ac7,200 to an Australian resident who “never came to Narbonne”.<\/p>\n
The club was placed into administration and relegated to lower leagues in 2018. <\/p>\n
The judge handed down a harsher prison term than the two years requested by prosecutors. Mr Tabet said the former Wallabies star was also ordered to pay back some \u20ac705,000 (\u00a3586,000). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n