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Paris (AFP) – Bernard Laporte, separated after his conviction in the first instance for corruption in December, resigned as president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) during the meeting of its steering committee, Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on Friday.
“I can confirm the resignation of Bernard Laporte,” the minister told AFP journalists present at the federation’s premises in Marcoussis, south of Paris.
“I call for a general election to be organized,” added Oudéa-Castéra.
Laporte had been released on Tuesday after being detained in the framework of a tax fraud investigation, a month after being convicted of corruption, the prosecutor’s office said.
The Paris correctional court sentenced Laporte to two years in prison with a suspended sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros (79,900 dollars) for benefiting businessman Mohed Altrad in a series of decisions.
Under pressure from the Sports Ministry and the FFR’s ethics committee, Laporte had stepped down from the duties of president temporarily after his conviction.
According to a source close to the case, the new investigation for which he was arrested on Tuesday is different from the case for which he was convicted, whose sentence the 58-year-old sports leader appealed.
“Bernard Laporte was not (at the committee meeting), I respect his non-participation in the instances, obviously I have thought of him, I think he has made the right decision, he has contributed to French rugby, he also has positive elements in his balance”, added the minister.
The resignation of Laporte, a central figure in French rugby for the last 20 years, comes with seven months left for the World Cup to be organized by the country.
The leader was Minister of Sports between 2007 and 2009, just after directing Les Bleus (2000-2007). He presided over the federation since 2016.
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