Sexual Abuse The new sexual abuse case that is shaking Argentina and involves two French rugby players

Two rugby players from the French team, on tour in Argentina, have been arrested after a complaint filed by a young woman from Mendoza, who accused them of sexual assault suffered after the match that the European team played in this province against the Argentine Pumas

Athletes identified by the victim, identified as Oscar Jégou (20 years old) and Hugo Auradou (21 years old), They were arrested by agents of the Federal Division of Investigation of Fugitives and Extraditions of the Interpol Department of the Argentine Federal Police in the city of Buenos Aires, at the hotel where the French delegation is staying.

There Attorney General of the Sexual Integrity Crimes Unit of Mendoza, Daniela Chaler assured that the injuries of the alleged victim are consistent with his story, that there is “strong elements” and that, in principle, the woman’s statement corresponds to the forensic “conclusions”.

In a statement, the Argentine Federal Police gave the first details of the situation for which the French rugby players were accused: “The defendants went to the province of Mendoza where the French rugby team played a match last Saturday. That night, they went to a dance club in the city of Mendoza, where one of the defendants met a woman who, after having a few drinks in his company, began to feel dizzy. In this situation, she was taken to a well-known hotel, where the subjects They sexually assaulted her. After the incident and after recovering, the woman left the place on her own, filing the corresponding complaint with the judicial authorities,” reported the Argentine newspaper La Nación.

After his presentation before the Mendoza prosecutor’s office, the Deputy prosecutor in charge of the case, Cecilia Bignert You have 24 hours to recharge the players, with the possibility of an additional 24 hours extension. If formally charged, the rugby players will be detained until the preventive detention hearing, which is ten days after the charge.

“It is possible that in the middle of these ten days they (the defense) will request conditional release or house arrest. Until they are charged, we will not know,” the spokesman for the judiciary of this province, Martín Ahumada, told AFP.

According to CNN, the two athletes arrested after the sexual abuse complaint are being defended by lawyer Rafael Cúneo Libarona (brother of Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona), who said that The players are “concerned”, but with “a clear conscience”. Likewise, the professional assured that the two players of the French team will be transferred today, possibly, to Mendoza to continue the legal proceedings.

“I will travel with them to prove their innocence,” Cuneo Libarona said.

The defence lawyer added to AFP that he had spoken to the players, who confirmed that they had met the woman and had sex with her, but that it was “consensual sex, at no point were there any signs of violence or anything like that.”

Once they arrive on Mendoza soil, Jégou and Auradou will have to submit to the corresponding judicial provisions and procedures, so that if the main indications of the aggression against the complainant are confirmed, they will be formally charged.

“We already have expert reports, but these reports are not yet confirmed. It is only a matter of days, but there is convincing evidence in relation to the victim’s statement. and the work of the Forensic Medical Corps (CMF), regarding the injuries suffered by the young woman. Now, it remains to compare with the accused: if it is positive, the prosecution will move forward,” added the sources consulted by La Nación.

Mendoza Justice is waiting for medical reports that would confirm whether there was sexual intercourse. The difference is not minor, since in the case of sexual abuse with carnal access and committed by two or more people, The penalty provided for by the Argentine Penal Code is between eight and 20 years in prison. which would increase the risk of flight and would lead, if this initial classification of the event were ratified, to the accused rugby players awaiting the oral trial behind bars.