2024-07-10 10:56:05
Rugby players Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, who are currently on tour with the French XV in Argentina, were arrested by local police on Monday 8 July following a complaint of sexual abuse. They will appear in court for the first time in the coming days and could be held in pre-trial detention.
Two Irish internationals from France in Argentina’s justice scene. Since the arrest in Argentina on Monday of Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jégou, two France XV players who were the target of a sexual abuse complaint by a young woman who filed a complaint in Mendoza, French rugby has been thrown into a stupor. As a reminder, it was on the night of Saturday July 6 to Sunday July 7, after the match against the Argentina XV, that the facts described as“extremely serious” by the president of the French Rugby Federation that would take place. According to local magazine MDZ, the victim and the players allegedly met in a nightclub before going to a hotel. The strength of the victim’s story, which shows beatings and sexual violence, pushed the police to act quickly, before the players left the territory. Semantic accuracy, translation “aggravated sexual abuse” corresponds to the formula “meat access”, which in Argentine law corresponds to the word «viol», presenting a character without doubt “worse” due to the fact that it was done in a meeting with the use of violence.
🚨🏉 The Argentine police released images of the arrest of Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou, the French XV players who are accused of an extremely violent sexual assault. If they do not deny the sexual relationship with the complainant, they declare that it was consensual. #telematics pic.twitter.com/9WK1g2cl7M
— Telematin (@telematin) July 10, 2024
The two young players of the French team, until now placed in police custody in a police station in Buenos Aires, should be transferred between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to Mendoza, a central west province, 1,100 km from the capital of Argentina where where the alleged events took place. place. They will then be heard as part of the investigation in the coming days by the chief prosecutor of Mendoza’s Sexual Integrity Crimes Unit, Daniela Chaler. The latter reported “determined elements” I “the deposit [de la victime] quite long, complete, detailed” EDS “corresponds, at present, to the medico-legal conclusions”.
Hugo Auradou, 20 years old, and Oscar Jegou, 21 years old, were also crowned world champions in 2023, in the category under 20 years old, and they will have to submit to the medical examinations that asked the courts. They will be accompanied by their lawyer. “We will present evidence in favor of the players, evidence we have, concrete evidence, and judge Mendoza will decide whether or not the players will be released,” said Mr. Rafael Cuneo Libarona. The defense lawyer states that he spoke to the players, who confirmed that he met the woman and had sexual relations with her, but the latter claims that he did. “a consensual sexual relationship, there was no violence or anything of that nature at any time.”
Indictment within 24 hours
Then the two players from the French XV will soon be presented before the representative of Mendoza’s public prosecutor’s office, Cecilia Bignert. This assistant prosecutor in charge of the case will have 24 hours to indict the players, with the possibility of an additional 24 hour extension in case of requests for additional elements.
If they are formally charged, the two young men could be held in pre-trial detention until the hearing to request their release, which would take place within ten days of the indictment. “They were moving to Argentina, they have no roots because they don’t live here and they are supposed to be able to afford to leave the country,” Martin Ahumada, spokesman for the Mendoza public prosecutor’s office, explained to justify this detention. However, it “It can be in the middle of these ten days, they [la défense, ndlr] apply for conditional release or house arrest. We won’t know until they are charged.” he followed.
According to the Penal Code of Argentina, the penalties incurred for this type of offense range from six to fifteen years of imprisonment. But, “the aggravating circumstances that the facts occurred in a meeting”, The sentence could be increased by eight to twenty years in prison, said Martin Ahumada.
#Oscar #Jégou #Hugo #Auradou #face #court #Libération