Sexual violencefileThe plaintiff accuses Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, of having beaten and raped her several times in their hotel room in Mendoza, where she had gone after meeting the two players in a bar. The latter were arrested on 8 July in Buenos Aires.
The 39-year-old woman who accuses French rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou of aggravated rape was questioned again on Tuesday, August 7, two days before the two players were heard in the Argentine city of Mendoza (west). “It was primarily a question of necessary clarifications, since the main statement is that of July 7,” said Natacha Romano, the plaintiff’s lawyer, at the end of the hearing. It lasted more than four hours, in the presence of her lawyers and her brother, who was exceptionally allowed to be present to support her. The defense lawyers, led by Rafael Cuneo Libarona, were also present. The two rugby players will be heard by the courts on Thursday.
“There is no flaw in history”
The complainant accuses Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, both aged 21, of having beaten and raped her repeatedly in their hotel room in Mendoza, where she had gone after meeting the two players in a bar. “The story has no flaws,” added Romano, who assured that “the questions from the defense were very brief.”
For his part, Mr. Cuneo Libarona stressed that “there were notable contradictions” between the statements of the complainant “and, even worse”, that “different versions were arranged”. “The innocence of the rugby players has been proven, I cannot give details out of respect for the investigation”, added Mr. Cuneo Libarona, who recalled that his clients had been under house arrest “for 20 days”.
Arrested on July 8 in Buenos Aires, where the French delegation had returned to play a match, they were transferred to Mendoza on July 11 and charged the following day. They were released from detention on July 17 to be placed under house arrest.
