AS Saint-Etienne announced Monday, November 8, to file a complaint for “use of forgery” and “attempted fraud” against the Cambodian prince Norodom Ravichak, candidate for the acquisition of the club, to whom he would have provided a fraudulent financial document.
“The shareholders of ASSE have started a process of sale since last April, entrusted to the firm KPMG which invited the candidates for the takeover of the club to send their best offer this Monday, November 8”, recalled ASSE in a press release.
“This process has made it possible to highlight the lack of credibility of certain candidates. This is the case of Norodom Ravichak and his counsel Mr. Carlos Bejarano who provided a financial guarantee document of 100 million euros from a large international bank, which turns out to be a fake “, continued the Saint-Etienne club.
“The shareholders therefore questioned their lawyers on the legal and judicial consequences resulting from the production of these false documents with a view to being authorized to participate in the transfer process. In view of their conclusions, it was resolved to file a complaint between the hands of the public prosecutor of Paris for acts of forgery, use of forgery and attempted fraud “, added ASSE.
“The shareholders intend to continue the sale process in order to sell the club to an investor representing all the guarantees of seriousness and the financial standing necessary to give ASSE the means to fulfill its legitimate ambitions”, promise the leaders of AS Saint-Etienne.
“It is true that I officially applied for the resumption of AS Saint-Etienne”, had declared on RFI radio in September, the prince aged 47, grandson of former king Norodom Sihanouk and businessman.
“My goal today is to take care of Saint-Etienne”, added Norodom Ravichak, saying he wanted to invest “long-term” and ensuring that we can bring “sufficient means” to the repurchase transaction.