Toulouse found guilty of "fraudulent activity" and face the consequences

Toulouse found guilty of "fraudulent activity" and face the consequences

Stade Toulousain knows its fate after appearing before the French rugby disciplinary council! The red-and-black club has been found guilty of "Incorrect and/or fraudulent accounting and/or diverted funding" and "Failure to comply with regulatory provisions and CCCP decisions". It is therefore penalized with a deduction of 4 points from the Top 14 standings, including 2 on probation, and a fine of 45,000 euros, including 15,000 on probation. Stade Toulousain has 7 days to appeal the decision.

Stade Toulousain who were the Top14 log leaders, lose 2 points and drop a place into second behind Section Paloise, which becomes the new log leader.

The written decision on the sanction against Stade Toulousain:

"The Disciplinary Council has concluded that the elements of the file demonstrated that the financial flows between the club and the companies PACIFIC HEART - RUGBY STORE, presented in particular as an agency agreement aimed at organizing a tour of Stade Toulousain in French Polynesia, had in reality in particular been used to settle the financial consequences of Mr. Melvyn JAMINET's departure from the USAP club and that this arrangement was part of a legal and financial cover-up aimed at diverting funding from its true purpose. The Disciplinary Council has considered that the elements emerging from the investigation conducted by the CCCP demonstrated that the club was in breach of its obligation to carry out regular and compliant accounting of all transactions in accordance with accounting law, following the provisions provided for in particular in application of the A2R regulations, and that it had failed in its obligation to declare to the CCCP the image rights guaranteed to Mr. Melvyn JAMINET. The Disciplinary Council has taken into account the club's lack of commitment to conducting due diligence with the company PACIFIC HEART and Mr. Arnaud DUBOIS as part of the investigation conducted by the CCCP, and the seriousness of the breach of the A2R regulations, without prejudice to their potential criminal qualification that could be retained elsewhere. As regards the nature and amount of the sanctions, the Disciplinary Council has taken into account i) the absence of impact on the level of authorized payroll mass for the club by the CCCP in view of its significantly positive equity, ii) the partial acknowledgment of the facts, and iii) the financial contribution already paid by the club as part of the mediation agreement entered into in respect of the facts in question under the specific provisions of the Salary Cap regulations."

Stade Toulousain responded with a statement posted on X that reads as follows: 

"Stade Toulousain takes note of the decision rendered by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby. The decisions handed down come at the end of a procedure whose modalities have profoundly affected its image, and we deplore this. Attached to its values of transparency and responsibility, Stade Toulousain will analyze in the coming days, with its counsel, the opportunity to appeal to uphold its rights."



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