Biathlon champion Julia Simon emerged free from police custody carried out by the Albertville gendarmes (Savoie) as part of an investigation into bank card “fraud”, we learned on Wednesday from her lawyer.
“My client is not indicted or referred to the judicial court” following her placement in police custody on Tuesday, her lawyer Christian Borel told AFP, specifying that “the investigations are continuing” .
The 27-year-old French biathlete, winner of the World Cup last winter, is the target of two complaints filed in December 2022 and May 2023 for fraud, by a member of the French team staff and by one of its partners Justine Braisaz-Bouchet.
She is accused of having used their credit cards for internet purchases amounting to “around 2,300 euros”, according to the biathlete’s lawyer who disputes the facts. They would have performed during an internship in the summer of 2022 in Norway.
“There are purchases that were made by credit card with my name on it, but today, I am also a victim of this situation. My name was used without my knowledge,” Julia Simon declared in an interview with Dauphiné Libéré in August 2023. She filed a complaint against X for identity theft.
“My client denies having ordered and received the material,” explains Me Borel. “If it did not concern high-level sportswomen, this case would have been closed without further action,” he says.
Julia Simon has a “desire for appeasement towards the entire group”, declared Me Borel. The biathlete, just crowned French pursuit champion, won, in addition to the Biathlon World Cup last winter, the pursuit world championships in February.
The Biathlon World Cup is scheduled to resume on November 25 in Oestersund, Sweden.
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