Under investigation for several months, biathlete Julia Simon was taken into police custody on Tuesday October 24.
Julia Simon ended the previous season at the top by winning the big crystal globe of the Biathlon World Cup, but this victory left a bitter taste in the clan of the French team due to a case of fraud at the bank card, notably with his teammate Justine Braisaz Bouchet.
The facts date back to August and September 2022 when Julia Simon allegedly used a bank card belonging to Justine Braisaz-Bouchet for online purchases amounting to 2,000 euros, concerning go-pro type cameras. The winner of the big globe also has a second complaint against her which concerns fraud of around twenty euros. This Tuesday, October 24, the athlete was finally heard by the gendarmerie and was placed in police custody according to information from Dauphiné. As the newspaper explains, the investigation was long and meticulous because BR investigators had to determine, by identifying IP addresses for example, with which computer or which terminal (smartphone, tablet) the suspicious orders were placed. . Technical and time-consuming investigations, carried out through legal requisitions.
Julia Simon talks about “identity theft”
Now defended by Me Christian Borel of the Jakubowicz law firm, Julia Simon defended herself in an interview given to Dauphiné Libéré this summer. “This situation is beyond me… I think my identity has been stolen.” She even counter-attacked in this case by filing a complaint in turn against X for identity theft. This day will therefore be decisive in knowing whether justice will decide to initiate criminal proceedings. On a sporting level, the unease that the affair created in the ranks of the federation and within the French team is still present and heavy. The stakes are high as the winter biathlon season is about to begin.
What future for the French team?
While the new biathlon season will soon start again (November 25 in Ostersünd, Sweden), Julia Simon’s future is uncertain. A few months ago, the Federation explained through its independent disciplinary commission “that only the results of the criminal investigation will make it possible to determine whether the facts alleged against Julia Simon are proven. It therefore issued a stay of proceedings in the awaiting the decision of the competent criminal body in charge of this case.”