After two first postponements, the dismissal hearing for Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou which was to be held on Friday, November 1, was once again adjourned to examine an appeal request from the complainant. An expectation that is starting to weigh on the morale of the players.
They have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, but remain stuck in the throes of the Argentine justice system. After being accused of having, on the night of July 6 to 7, raped a woman in their hotel room in Mendoza, Argentina, arrested on July 8, placed in police custody in Interpol premises, briefly incarcerated, then under house arrest, undergoing real media pressure, Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou saw the tide turn in their favor in August.
The two players of the French XV were released on Monday August 12 before being authorized to return to France on September 4 and a month later, on October 4, the Mendoza prosecutor's office asked the judge to drop all charges held against them, taking into account the fact that “the complainant's first version was weakened by various elements of evidence” and “the existence of notable contradictions, inconsistencies, gray areas, even insufficient explanations”.
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Returning to training since September 18 and 26 respectively, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou were hopeful of obtaining “a dismissal” quickly and thus being cleared by the Argentine justice system and being able to resume the normal course of their lives. rugby career. With, in sight, the fall tour of the XV of France.
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Three reports in one month
However, at the end of a first three-hour hearing, behind closed doors at the Mendoza court, on October 18, judge Eleonora Arenas, in charge of the investigation for “aggravated rape” against them, decided to adjourn the meeting until October 24. This meeting was then postponed to November 1. But in the meantime, the plaintiff, Soledad, 39, has established a new medical report, attesting that she “does not suffer from Willebrand disease”, a central point in this case. The document was then rejected by the Argentine courts, but the plaintiff's lawyers appealed this decision, further postponing the decisive hearing for Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou.
The Mendoza court finally considered this appeal on November 1 and rejected the plaintiff's lawyers' request to add this “additional evidence”. According to our information, a new dismissal hearing date is looming for next week. At the same time, Oscar Jégou's club, Stade Rochelais, authorized him to return to the championship this Saturday, November 2, even if the club had initially indicated that the player would not be authorized to play again in Top 14 only after the court decision dismissing the case. Hugo Auradou made his return with the Section Paloise on Saturday October 12. Proof of a certain impatience on the part of the players and their clubs. The French defense of the two men nevertheless assures that “they are waiting, but keep a real sportsman's mentality”.
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On the side of the plaintiff, Soledad, 39 years old, one of her lawyers, Me Mauricio Cardello, indicated in a brief press release that he was withdrawing from this procedure, without specifying the motivations for this abandonment. Questioned by the Argentinian daily “Diario Uno”, he affirmed that it was “a purely professional question” and ruled out “any conflict and divergence” with his colleague, Me Natacha Romano.
