International arrest warrant issued for former Wallabies star Elsom

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An international arrest warrant was issued on Friday for former Australian rugby captain Rocky Elsom, who was sentenced to five years in prison in his absence by a French court for misuse of company property, a lawyer in the case told AFP.

Charges were laid following Elsom’s stint as president of French club Narbonne between 2015 and 2016.

Backrow forward Elsom, who made 75 appearances for the Wallabies, was also found guilty of forgery and ordered to pay back 705,000 euros, lawyer Patrick Tabet told AFP.

Elsom, the club’s chairman in 2015-2016, was also accused of paying €79,000 to a former coach when “nothing could justify it” and hiring a person who lived in Australia for around €7,200 a month and ” never came to the club”. Narbonne” and “has not done any favors” for the club, the lawyer said.

The president of the court imposed a higher sentence than the prosecutor’s demand of two years in prison.

Narbonne, champions of France in 1936 and 1979, were placed in liquidation and relegated in 2018 after years of financial problems.

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