Former Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom has responded to the international warrant seeking his arrest, insisting that he is innocent of the charges and that he was not afforded the opportunity to defend himself in the first place.
The warrant and five-year jail term to which it was attached was handed down by a French court late last week, stunning not just the Australian rugby community but the global audience, too.
Elsom was found guilty of forgery, the use of forgery, and the misuse of corporate assets stemming back to his time as president of French rugby club Narbonne.
But in a statement issued to the Sydney Morning Herald, the former Test skipper protested his innocence and revealed that he had not been given the chance to state his own version of events.
“Not allowing me to defend the charges, is a clear perversion of justice,” Elsom told the Herald.
“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 called on French lawyer Patrick Tabet, who alleged Elsom made “completely unjustified” separate payments to a former coach of Narbonne and another Australia never engaged by the club, to provide him with the information that led to the five-year jail sentence.
Currently living in Dublin, Elsom was at Narbonne from 2013-2016 and defended the French D2 club’s performances both on and off the field during that period. According to the Herald, he has engaged a lawyer in France to appeal the decision.
Elsom played 75 Tests for the Wallabies between 2005 and 2011, playing at both the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups along the way.
He was famously replaced as captain by James Horwill on the eve of the 2011 tournament in New Zealand, where the Wallabies were eventually beaten by the hosts in the semifinals.