In Argentina, the prosecution is requesting a dismissal of charges for the two French rugby players accused of aggravated rape.
The public prosecutor’s office in Mendoza, Argentina, where the investigation against Hugo Auradou et Oscar Jegouthe two French rugby players accused of aggravated rape in Argentina, ruled this Friday, October 4, 2024, for a dismissal of the case which will be studied at a hearing set for October 18.
The hearing set for October 18
“The defense requested the dismissal of the case before the prosecution, and the prosecution supports this dismissal of the case and requests a hearing with the judge,” Martin Ahumada, spokesperson for the Mendoza (west) prosecutor’s office, told AFP. The dismissal will be examined during a closed hearing set for October 18 by the judge in charge of the case, he said.
Charged with aggravated rape
Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, are charged with aggravated rape committed in a meeting for alleged acts that occurred on the night of July 6 to 7 in a hotel room in Mendoza, where the XV of France was coming to play a test match against Argentina. The two players have maintained from the beginning that the sexual relations with the complainant, whom they met in a nightclub, were consensual. And they deny any violence, while the plaintiff’s lawyer spoke of “terrible violence”, which saw her client “savagely beaten”.
First detained then placed under house arrest, they were released in mid-August, then authorized to leave Argentina pending the end of the investigation. They returned to France on September 4, and have since resumed training in their clubs. Hugo Auradou must return to competition on Saturday in the Top 14 where he should start with his club Pau traveling to Perpignan.
