Rugby-Argentine court dismisses rape charges against two French players

By Ramiro Scandolo and Vincent Daheron

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -An Argentine court dismissed aggravated rape charges against French international rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou on Tuesday, drawing a line under a dark period for the European country's rugby community.

Auradou and Jegou, both 21, had been under investigation since July 12 for alleged aggravated rape — a charge used for suspected gang rape — in Argentina's western Mendoza province after they made their international debuts.

The two players always denied any wrongdoing and said the sex was consensual.

In a statement, Argentina's judiciary said Judge Eleonora Arenas had decided to dismiss the case against them on the basis that "the facts investigated do not constitute a crime."

Auradou and Jegou were reported on July 7 by a 39-year-old woman and detained the following day in Mendoza, where they had faced the Argentina rugby team.

The case was classified as "sexual abuse with carnal access aggravated by the participation of two or more people," according to the file accessed by Reuters.

In September, the results of psychological and psychiatric tests concluded that there were "a series of inconsistencies and contradictions" in the woman's version of events.

"Today these issues are very dangerous," said Rafael Cuneo Libarona, the French players' lawyer. "It was very difficult here but we did it. I always believed in the innocence of the players."

The two players spent several days in preventive detention and almost a month under house arrest in Argentina. They were eventually allowed to leave Argentina at the start of September, when they returned to France.

Auradou has played eight matches for his club, Section Paloise, since he returned to competition on Oct. 5 while Jegou resumed playing on Nov. 2 with Stade Rochelais and has played four matches.

The French Rugby Federation, whose president Florian Grill told Reuters in October that Auradou and Jegou would not play for the national team again "until the case is dismissed", said the duo would now be "eligible for selection" again.

"The French Rugby Federation welcomes this decision with relief and satisfaction," it said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo and Vincent Daheron; Writing by Adam Jourdan and Simon Jennings; Editing by Ken Ferris)