French international rugby players held incommunicado in Mendoza awaiting hearing in rape case — MercoPress

French international rugby players held incommunicado in Mendoza awaiting hearing in rape case

Auradou and Jegou are not allowed to fly back to France under any circumstances

French international rugby players Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, who were arrested in Argentina’s Mendoza province to face rape charges, spent the weekend separated from each other incommunicado before being transferred to another detention facility. No visitors are allowed for now, except their legal teams, after they were formally charged on Friday with “the crime of sexual assault with penetration, aggravated by the participation of two people.” A 39-year-old woman has accused them of raping and beating her multiple times in a Mendoza hotel room after a rugby match on July 7. The suspects claim the sex was consensual. If found guilty, they face eight to 20 years in prison.

Auradou and Jegou remain in custody pending a hearing in which judges will decide whether they will await trial behind bars or under house arrest, for which they would need to have a residence in Mendoza. In no case are they expected to be allowed to fly back to France, sources in the Mendoza judiciary said.

The victim claims to have met Auradou in the early hours of July 7 at a nightclub in Maipu, from where they went to the hotel where the French national team was staying. Jegou is said to have joined them later.

According to the victim’s attorney, Natacha Romano, her client suffered injuries to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs, as well as bite and scratch marks. She said she was raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other, the attorney said. Romano also said her client was hospitalized Thursday after feeling emotionally and physically ill “because of everything that happened.” She was discharged Saturday with an ulcer that resulted from painkillers she had been taking. Tests also found a blow to the head and throat injuries as a result of the hanging, her attorneys said.

On the night of the alleged events and while the suspects were already asleep, the victim sneaked out of the hotel and asked for a ride. On the afternoon of July 7, she filed a complaint with the court. With her version and the first evidence, the two accused French players were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday, before leaving for Uruguay to play another match, after which they were transferred by car from the Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires to Mendoza on Thursday.

Defense attorney Germán Hnatow told reporters that his clients would give a statement that is “very different from what the victim said.” The lawyer also said he hoped house arrest would be granted once the flight risk was averted. Also representing the players is attorney Rafael Cúneo Libarona, a brother and former partner in the law firm of federal Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona. The lawyer said that video footage from the hotel shows the victim leaving without visible injuries, which would contradict Romano’s claims that “the overwhelming evidence that there was no consent is the body of the victim.”

Both players had to be replaced in subsequent France appearances on their South American tour, as they were housed in Mendoza Police facilities with 6-square-meter dungeons. On Monday, they were transferred to another facility belonging to Mendoza’s Penitentiary Service (Department of Corrections). They are expected to be transferred to San Felipe prison later this week. It is reported that they have complained about their situation, as they do not know the language and are not receiving outside help.