Argentine court lets two French rugby players accused of rape fly home as investigation continues

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — 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.

After being arrested in Buenos Aires while their teammates continued their regional tour in Uruguay, Auradou and Jegou were transferred to house arrest in Mendoza in mid-July, where they remained for a month until the court ordered their release. In a surprising reversal, the case against them appeared to teeter last month when prosecutors acknowledged that there were glaring inconsistencies in the victim's account that called her credibility into question.

In her criminal complaint, the plaintiff alleged that Auradou and Jegou took her back to their five-star Mendoza hotel, beat, choked and raped her and and prevented her from leaving their room. Her lawyer said she was later hospitalized for various injuries, including a bleeding ulcer, and received medical treatment for her state of shock and extreme stress.

The crime of aggravated sexual assault in Argentina carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.