The two French rugby players accused of rape in Argentina were formally questioned in court on Thursday, a month after their arrest in Mendoza Province.
Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, both 21, faced questioning from prosecutor Dario Nora after being charged with "sexual abuse with carnal access [as rape is known in Argentine law] aggravated by the participation of two people."
Their defence team rejects the charges and the duo have denied wrongdoing, arguing that sex was consensual.
If found guilty, the two professionals could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
The court hearing started late at 11am on Thursday. Staged behind closed doors, Auradou was questioned first, a source close to the case told AFP.
The lawyer for the accused, Rafael Cúneo Libarona, told the press prior to proceedings that at the end of the session he will request the immediate release of his clients, who are being held under house arrest.
"As soon as the statement is over we will ask for their release, today," he told reporters outside court.
The victim's lawyer, Natacha Romano, said that the prosecutor "should ask for imprisonment.”
The duo have been banned from leaving the country.
"In the event that they ask for their freedom and are allowed to leave the country, that is to say that the prohibition to leave the country is lifted, they will continue to be charged and then they will return for the debate, but this is not the prognosis we have, the evidence is convincing," said Romano.
She said the complainant would file an appeal if the prosecutor does not request pre-trial detention.
Last Tuesday, the accuser, a 39-year-old woman, testified that she had been beaten and raped by both sportsmen on the night of July 6 to 7 at a downtown hotel in Mendoza.
The accused were staying there with the rest of the French team after having played a match in Mendoza against Argentina’s national rugby team, known as Los Pumas.
They were arrested on July 8 when the team was already in Buenos Aires and taken back to Mendoza, where, after spending a week in prison, they were granted house arrest.
The woman's testimony was the second time she had appeared before the courts since filing the complaint.
"The story had no gaps," said lawyer Romano at the end of the deposition.
Cúneo Libarona, who was present during the deposition, said that the complainant had revealed "notable contradictions" with respect to her first deposition.
"The innocence of the rugby players was proven," he claimed.
– TIMES/AFP
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