French police on Tuesday detained for questioning rugby federation president Bernard Laporte as part of an investigation into suspected tax fraud, financial prosecutors said.

The most recent investigation dates back to August 2020.

Tuesday’s incident comes as the almost 2,000 French rugby clubs are voting on whether to accept Laporte’s appointed interim president Patrick Buisson, with the results expected on Thursday

“He was summoned for questioning by tax authorities, he went there with a lawyer specialising in tax,” one of Laporte’s lawyers, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, told AFP.

“It is perfectly scandalous that the prosecutors have chosen the date of Patrick Buisson’s election for the questioning and that the disclosure of this questioning was made on the same day,” he added.

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