Elsom, who currently lives in Dublin, had an international arrest warrant issued against him last week after he was convicted in France over a number of financial charges.
He was sentenced to five years in prison at a Narbonne court on Friday, October 11, and convicted in absentia.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Elsom expressed concerns over being left in a prison cell if he is extradited to France.
“The police are not the concern, but the length of time I could be held in custody before my appeal can be heard is a concern. There are a number of players who are still waiting to have unfair dismissal cases heard and they were lodged eight years ago,” he said.
The former Leinster flanker told the Sydney-based publication he would not turn himself in or go to France voluntarily and has contacted French lawyers as part of an effort to appeal his conviction.
“I would say that if I went to France, I would be in custody until the appeal is heard and the timelines mentioned earlier are concerning.
“In France they say the rumour is the bazooka. I don’t expect to see anything incriminating in the court documents because there is nothing that says money was improperly spent.”
He pointed to an interview he gave in The Sunday Times before last Friday’s hearing and said the French authorities had made no effort to contact him.
“On the Sunday before Friday’s hearing, I gave an interview in The Sunday Times giving my location, occupation and upcoming events, so the idea that I couldn’t be contacted is not valid,” he said.
“Neither the courts, the prosecutor nor [prosecuting lawyer Patrice] Tabet has said that they have tried to contact me.
“If you find a statement from anyone that specifically says they’ve tried, send it to me. Regardless, I haven’t had any correspondence from any of the above for eight years, including the lead up to this hearing.”
Elsom had been set to appear as a guest of Leinster at last Saturday’s sold-out game against rivals Munster at Croke Park and was scheduled to take part in a pre-match Q&A.
However, Leinster confirmed Elsom would not make that scheduled appearance.
“Rocky Elsom was due to appear at a sponsors’ Q&A in Croke Park as a guest of Leinster Rugby, but that is no longer the case,” a spokesperson said.
In an international career from 2005 to 2011, Elsom was capped 75 times by the Wallabies. He played for Leinster from 2008 to 2009 and was part of the 2008/2009 Heineken Cup winning squad.
He also had brief stints playing for Toulon and Narbonne in France, but spent most of his club career in Super Rugby in his native Australia. He most recently worked as a coach at Catholic University School (CUS) in Dublin.
