Argentine prosecutors said Monday they would let two French rugby players accused of violently raping a woman fly home, even as the explosive case remained under investigation.
A judge in Argentina’s western city of Mendoza, where the alleged assault took place, still must sign off on the decision, which clears the way for the departure of the two French national team players, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou. The 21-year-old athletes were arrested in early July after a woman filed a complaint accusing them of repeatedly raping her. They maintain their innocence.
The chilling account provided by the 39-year-old Argentine woman has rattled the French rugby world and prompted a media firestorm in Argentina.
The public prosecution in Mendoza, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) west of Buenos Aires, confirmed the decision to allow the accused to leave the country, outlining a number of post-release conditions as it continues to pursue the case against them. Auradou and Jegou agreed to appear before Argentine consular officials in France, establish a legal address and return to Mendoza upon the court’s request, the prosecution said.
The prosecution’s spokesperson, Martín Ahumada, told reporters that the judge would decide whether to green-light the departure of Auradou and Jegou on Tuesday, following a court hearing related to an examination of their psychological state.
The rugby players have admitted to having sex with the plaintiff — whom they met at a Mendoza nightclub while reveling in their July 7 victory against Argentina’s Pumas — but insisted that the encounter was consensual.
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Crime Blotter
