Argentine prosecutor recommends the return to France of the two rugby players accused of rape

The Argentine Prosecutor’s Office in Mendoza has recommended the return to France of Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, the two French XV rugby players accused of rape in Argentina for almost two months, announced Monday, September 2. The parquet “authorized their departure from the country, so that they can travel to France”but his departure “concrete and effective” He remains suspended for a hearing on Tuesday, in which a judge responsible for detention and freedoms is expected to rule, Martín Ahumada, a spokesman for the provincial justice system, told reporters.

Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, both 21, are accused of aggravated rape in an encounter, on the night of 6-7 July, with a 39-year-old Argentine woman, in a hotel room in Mendoza – 1,000 kilometres away from the capital, Buenos Aires – where the XV of France had come from playing a test match against Argentina.

The alleged victim, who met the players at a nightclub and followed one of them to the hotel, said she suffered rape and violence in her room. The defendants admit to having had a sexual relationship, but claim it was consensual and deny any violence.

The two players from the XV of France were imprisoned after their arrest on July 8, 2024 and then placed under house arrest on August 17 in Mendoza. Considering that the “Insufficient elements have not been gathered” To justify the house arrest of the French rugby players, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the province of Mendoza decided to release them on Monday, August 12, while placing them under judicial supervision, forcing them to remain in Argentina while the investigation continues.