An international arrest warrant was issued on Friday against former Wallaby captain Rocky Elsom.
Elsom was found guilty of forgery, use of forgery and misuse of corporate assets and sentenced to five years imprisonment by a court in Narbonne.
Charges were brought following the 41-year-old's stint as president of French club Narbonne between 2015 and 2016. He was removed from his role and left behind what French newspaper Midi Olympique described as a "catastrophic financial situation".
The 75 Test Wallaby was accused of embezzling around 79,000 Euros ($128,121AUD) before leaving the club, who were relegated to the third division of French rugby two years later.
He was also accused of hiring for around 7,200 Euros ($11,676AUD) per month, an individual residing in Australia who "never came to Narbonne" and "did not perform any service" for the club, a lawyer involved in the case told AFP.
The president of the court handed down a sentence higher than the prosecutor's request of two years imprisonment.
Elsom was interviewed just a week earlier in Ireland by The Sunday Times. He revealed he had returned to Dubin, where he would remain for the rest of the year, and had taken up a role coaching at the Catholic University School while he was recovering from an injury.
"I'm recovering from an injury and this is a good place to be for it," Elson said. "I had a break in work and though I should take it. I'm trying to avoid getting cut open again so I'll just stay here and work on that."
Narbonne who were champions of France in 1936 and 1979 were placed in liquidation and relegated in 2018 after years of financial difficulties.