Posted on November 25, 2021 at 8:30 p.m. by Dan Marciano
Dismissed by Roland Romeyer and Bernard Caïazzo, the Prince of Cambodia Norodom Ravichak does not intend to give up, as recognized by his lawyer, Maître Carlos Bejarano.
Last September, a mysterious candidate formalized his interest for the ASSE , sold by Roland Romeyer and Bernard Caïazzo . “I want to invest for the long term and take care of ASSE. If we come to an agreement, I would provide sufficient means to achieve these ambitions and allow Saint-Étienne to regain its splendor “announced Norodom Ravichak , member of the royal family of Cambodia. Aged 47, this Francophile man was determined to go all the way, according to exclusive information from 10Sport.com, and was ready to inject € 100M into the Saint-Etienne club, but an incredible turnaround took place in this case. . On November 9, the 'ASSE indicated that it was going to file a complaint against Norodom Ravichak , accused of having provided false documents to the cabinet KPMG . “They said he had 500 million euros… This is bullshit! Normally serious buyers do not speak. They don't speak because it's in their best interests. When I see people talking in the media, most of the time, it is because they are not serious and they have no money ”launched the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the < strong> ASSE, Bernard Caïazzo . In question, Norodom Ravichak was keen to deliver his truths and assured him that he was not at the origin of this attempted fraud: “The first, of 30M €, in June. Refused. Then nothing. The second, of 60M €, plus 40M € to be injected immediately into the club's assets, subject to the study of the data room (…) Although it annoyed me and I felt ostracized, I contacted master Carlos Bejarano. It was then agreed to call on Prolan Group SA, a financial structure based in Geneva, Switzerland, and which works with Deutsche Bank (…) I never issued this document nor met Philippe Soulié, the boss from Prolan, whom I called to account. “
The unfolding of the facts according to the Prince's lawyer
Lawyer for Norodom Ravichak, Master Carlos Bejarano came out of silence this Thursday. In a long interview with But Football Club, he returned to his client's project: “Initially, we just wanted to go through Asia. We are making a first proposal for € 30 million supported by Soteria Capital, which is a large Asian investment fund. Except that KPMG rejects us. Because there are compliance rules, especially on money transfers. In our example, KPMG made us understand that European banks would have refused a transfer of € 100 million from Bank of Asia, which is nevertheless established there. Because they didn't necessarily know where it came from. We then think about a plan B. Because we have everything: the project, the team, the capital… I repeat, St-Etienne is in the heart of the Prince. We have to look for a European bank to guarantee the origin of Asian funds at KPMG's request. KMPG demands that it be one of the two or three largest establishments in Europe. At that point, we enter the arcana of finance. Something that people don't necessarily realize is the way things are organized. You have to mobilize € 100 million, without being sure to buy. Squaring is not easy. Basically, we are putting in place a tool that will enable the € 100 million to be activated in due course. We don't need them to be there, we need to show that they will be there. Hence the idea of sending a confirmation from Deutsche Bank “.
” We were completely overwhelmed “
Maitre Carlos Bejarano does not understand the accusations against his client: “In September, when KPMG alerts us, there is no question of accusations. But of simple doubt. We worked hand in hand. We preferred not to take any risks and followed the recommendations. We therefore abandoned this trail. That is why to come and claim that there was an attempted fraud is absolutely ridiculous and totally wrong. Then came the press release of November 8, we fell from the clouds ”. The lawyer for Norodom Ravichak also expressed doubts about the real intentions of Caiazzo and Romeyer : “The first question I asked KPMG was: 'Are the two presidents really good sellers'”. Jérôme De Bontin, during the episode Peak6, had explained himself publicly. At the time, he had already encountered many difficulties. Their redemption attempt had also ended badly … It had exploded for reasons that neither party was able to explain clearly. And there was another takeover attempt afterwards, which was hardly talked about, which also failed because it was in the days of Mediapro. The two shareholders had said that the price was no longer the same as when it was Canal + … I fully understand that when you are a seller, you try to get the best price. But I don't think we can overwhelm a buyer who, for his part, wants to pay the fair price ”. Now, what's next for the Prince of Cambodia? “The prince would have made a great president, charismatic, sincere. When he says it's a mess, I agree with him. But that’s not the end yet. It will bounce back, “the lawyer concluded.