The Paris prosecutor’s office announced, Tuesday January 16, to Agence France-Presse that it had opened, on January 10, several investigations against presidents of sports federations suspected of having given false testimony before a commission of inquiry parliamentary. The world learned from the Paris prosecutor’s office that seven reports of false testimony had been taken into account and would be analyzed by the press and public liberties section of the Paris prosecutor’s office.
These reports come from elected officials who sat on the National Assembly’s commission of inquiry, which conducted for several months a series of hearings on the failings of sports federations and their responses to sexist and sexual violence, on the fight against racism or their financial management.
Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), is particularly targeted for several of his statements regarding financial elements. He is accused, among other things, of having asserted that the ” subject “ suspicions of corruption and misappropriation of public property weighing on him and in connection with the ticketing of Roland-Garros was “closed”, while a preliminary investigation was opened on this subject in July 2023 by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF). Contacted, Mr. Moretto’s lawyer, Alain Jakubowicz, did not wish to comment.
Offense punishable by five years of imprisonment
Five other leaders are suspected by deputies of “not having denounced acts of sexual and gender-based violence which [ils] would have possibly been aware of. They are Serge Lecomte, president of the French Equestrian Federation (FFE); Gwenaëlle Noury, president of the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG); Jean-Luc Rougé, former boss of the French Federation of Judo and associated disciplines (FFJDA) and current secretary general of the International Judo Federation; Jean Lapeyre, legal director of the French Football Federation (FFF); and Fabien Canu, director general of the National Institute of Sport, Expertise and Performance (Insep).
Sabrina Sebaihi, environmental rapporteur for the parliamentary committee, also declared having issued a seventh report targeting Nadir Allouache, president of the French Federation of kickboxing, muay thai and associated disciplines (FFKMDA).
The lawyer for Mr. Allouache and the FFKMDA, Jean-Baptiste Reynaud, affirms that his client did not lie before the deputies and that “ there was no report or internal feedback on alleged acts of sexual and gender-based violence until an athlete confided to my client, during an international competition, in the fall of 2023, having suffered sexual touching, which he also reported during his hearing.
Me Reynaud adds that he contacted the ethics officer of the National Assembly regarding the “actions” of the rapporteur of the commission of inquiry.
The offense of perjury is punishable by five years of imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 euros, according to article 434-13 of the Penal Code. Under this article, the author of false testimony is exempt from punishment. “if he spontaneously retracted his testimony before the decision putting an end to the procedure rendered by the investigating court or by the trial court”.