Former Australian and Leinster rugby player Rocky Elsom has said he does not intend to turn himself in to gardaí or voluntarily return to France to face forgery charges.
Last week, the 41-year-old was found guilty of forgery, use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets in 2014 and 2015 while president of the French club Narbonne.
A court in the French city sentenced him in absentia to five years. He has also been ordered to repay some €700,000 to the club.
An international arrest warrant has been issued but not yet executed.
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Gardaí are aware of the international arrest warrant in place for Elsom and are prepared to facilitate his extradition if required, sources said.
Elsom is currently living in south Dublin, where he works as a rugby coach at the Catholic University School on Leeson Street.
He previously said he was not informed of the court hearing or given an opportunity to defend the allegations, which he denies.
[ Rocky Elsom faces a rocky post-playing future in wake of French forgery sentenceOpens in new window ]
Security sources said while gardaí are prepared to assist the French authorities, no action has been taken so far and Elsom’s case is not considered a priority.
If he is arrested, Elsom would likely be detained on a European Arrest Warrant issued by France.
These warrants typically allow for speedy extraditions between EU countries, but it would be open to Elsom to lodge a challenge in the Irish courts. On occasion, Irish judges have refused to extradite people to other EU countries for a variety of legal reasons.
On Thursday, the Sydney Morning Herald published a statement from Elsom saying he was not concerned about being detained by gardaí.
“The police are not the concern, but the length of time I could be held in custody before my appeal can be heard is a concern,” he told the newspaper, in response to questions.
He also said he did not intend to hand himself over to the authorities or voluntarily return to France.
“I would say that if I went to France, I would be in custody until the appeal is heard and the timelines mentioned earlier are concerning,” he said.
A lawyer involved in the court case, Patrick Tabet, told AFP that while president of Narbonne, Elsom was accused of having paid €79,000 to a former coach when “nothing could justify it”.
He was also alleged to have paid €7,200 a month to an individual residing in Australia who “never came to Narbonne” and “did not perform any service” for the club.
Elsom played for Leinster in the 2008-2009 season and contributed to the team winning its first European Champions Cup, being selected as player of the match in the semi-final and final. He also played 75 Test matches for the Wallabies.
He recently said in an interview with the Sunday Times that he had returned to Dublin, was living in Rathmines, and coaching rugby at the Catholic University School while recovering from an injury.
He told the newspaper he was taking a break from his construction business in Queensland and planned to stay in Ireland until the end of the year.
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