MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

French rugby players involved in rape case in Mendoza fly back home

Araudou and Jégou boarded an Air France flight from Buenos Aires' Ezeiza Airport to Paris Charles De Gaulle

French international rugbiers Hugo Araudou and Oscar Jégou boarded an Air France regular flight to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport Wednesday after facing the consequences of a criminal complaint against both of them filed by a 39-year-old woman in the Argentine city of Mendoza, who claimed she had been sexually abused during an encounter at their hotel following a match between La Bleu and The Pumas.

 Both players had been granted house arrest after 36 days at a Mendoza corrections facility. Then they were released but banned from leaving the country and earlier this week they were allowed to return home by Judge Eleonora Arenas after the plaintiff raised no objections during a hearing in Mendoza.

Their case gained considerable media hype when it first broke out but very few outlets were at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport to see them off. They had been arrested on July 8.

The players' lawyer, Rafael Cúneo Libarona, a brother and former partner at their lawfirm of sitting Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona highlighted three Mendoza prosecutors in addition to Arenas concurred that the two 21-year-old athletes deserved to return to France. “Both of them always stayed in Mendoza, being able to return to Buenos Aires,” he explained.

“Hugo answered more than 150 questions, Oscar a little fewer, when they were not forced to testify,” he added. “They did not understand why they had to stay in Argentina. They are boys with an enormous level of innocence in the face of the gross accusation that should never have been made against them,” Cúneo Libarona also argued before forecasting that the case against them would be dismissed altogether in the next 10 days.

The solicitor also said he hoped that given that there would be no longer any legal measures in force against them they would be returning to play in Argentina soon. The defense team also posted bail in the amount of AR$ 20 million (around US$ 14,800 at the unofficial “blue” exchange rate), it was reported.

Judge Arenas is still to decide on a psychological evaluation of the players requested by the plaintiff's legal team, but the magistrate has already acknowledged that, if necessary, such a procedure could be conducted at their place of residence. She also said she would rule on the matter “in due time.”

At the time of their detention, the two rugbiers were about to travel to Montevideo given their team's engagements with the Uruguayan squad.