The former World Cup boss must now face a procedure for “moral harassment”, while a financial audit has been launched.
After an investigation opened in particular for influence peddling and corruption, the former boss of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Claude Atcher, is now targeted by another procedure, for “moral harassment“, a succession of cases which weigh on the organization of the flagship event of the sporting year 2023 in France.
This investigation formoral harassmentwas revealed by the newspaper l’Équipe on Thursday, which had already detailed in June by the menu the “management by terrorof the general manager of the public interest group (GIP) to organize the competition (September 8-October 28). Seized by the executive, the Labor inspectorate issued its report and the preliminary investigation for “moral harassment” was opened on November 29, 2022 after a report from the Regional and Interdepartmental Directorate for the Economy, Employment. , Labor and Solidarity (Drieets) and entrusted to the Brigade for the Suppression of Personal Crime (BRDP), said the prosecution on Thursday.
Investigations pile up
Claude Atcher, a figure in the world of French rugby, was first laid off as a precaution at the end of the summer of 2022, following a report by the GIP ethics committee, then landed in October. In response to these accusations, his lawyers told AFP at the end of November that Claude Atcher considered himself a victim “of judicial and media harassmentand that he seized the prud’hommes about the breach of his contract.
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Investigations, first administrative and now judicial, are piling up. In a statement sent to AFP on Thursday, he “welcomed the opening of investigations“which will allow him to”restore some semblance of balance» Complaining in particular of not having been received by the Labor Inspectorate despite «repeated requests“. Claude Atcher is also the target of an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office for favouritism, influence peddling, corruption following a joint report by the General Inspectorate of Finance and the General Inspectorate of Education. In the viewfinder: “past markets», «Ticketing» et «vehicles made availableby Claude Atcher.
Several sources had also told AFP in recent months that there was a “worryon the Campus 2023 program, the flagship learning program put forward by the organizers. According to the finance inspection report cited by L’Équipe’s investigation on Thursday, first of all this program will be “deficit» and then the mission «cannot exclude” what “the initial financial arrangement of the operation could have led to embezzlement“. The GIP, in which the French Rugby Federation (FFR) is more than 60% majority and the minority state, said Thursday that it intends “securing the organization of the tournament».
Financial audit
To clarify the accounts, he also announced that he was launching “a complete financial and accounting audit mission by spring to ensure that all accounting and financial operations of the entities of the organizing committee since their creation comply with their obligations and commitments“. In his reaction on Thursday, Claude Atcher assured that the accounts of the GIP have never been disputed and “were approved in March 2022 within the framework of a board of directors chaired by Jacques Rivoal (president of the GIP, editor’s note) and in which the representatives of the State participated».
The GIP will present on February 2 “an updated budget” and assured AFP that the event was going “achieve a positive result at the level of the best World Cups“. In reality, difficult to know where the accounts are. In the event of a financial disaster, the State has guaranteed up to “€162.45 millionaccording to the 2019 Finance Law. From the point of view of the organization itself, several sources have reported “retard” with AFP also due to the tension of the trades in the sports event and this while the GIP was in full social malaise… “Atcher did the marketing, the sponsorship, the ticketing very well, but he did nothing at the operational level.“, Explained to AFP one of these sources, which is currently leading the GIP to recruit.
For Claude Atcher, since his departurethe increasing privatization of the event through the use of private companies raises questions about the correlative drop in the expected forecast result which cannot be attributed to it“, he writes via his lawyers. For his part, the entourage of the Ministry of Sports explained to AFP “follow the situation closely and has confidence in the professionalism of the new team». «We remain vigilant, in conjunction with the FFR and World Rugby, and very attentive to respecting operational deadlines until the delivery of the event.“, we added from the same source.