Jegou/Auradou case: the verdict is about to fall, a controversial decision ?

The two rugby players are waiting for the verdict of the Argentine justice system and the latter has taken longer than expected& eacute;vu.

The case of the two French XV players, Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, which began in Argentina, is in its final phase. But contrary to what was initially said, the final court decision takes time (three postponements) and we are now waiting for a decision this November 25 at 9 a.m. (local time, 2 p.m. in France) by the public prosecutor of Mendoza (Argentina). The last postponement was related to the request of the plaintiff's lawyer, who had presented new evidence, ultimately refused, for the case.

But in a new twist, this Tuesday, November 19, the plaintiff's lawyers requested the disqualification of Judge Eleonora Arenas as reported by Le Parisien. Their desire is therefore to change judge, due to a latent risk of impartiality  according to them. This request will be processed this Friday at 3pm in Argentina, or 7pm in France. If the decision is known to everyone on the same day, then the hearing for a possible dismissal on Monday will be maintained.

As a reminder,  the two internationals had been charged with aggravated rape (because committed in a group) for alleged acts that occurred during the night of July 6 to 7 in a hotel room in Mendoza, where the French XV had just played a test match against Argentina. After a first long battle, the players were authorized by the Argentine justice system to leave the country on September 3 and return to France, despite their indictment. The reason ? “the existence of notorious contradictions, inconsistencies, gray areas and even insufficient explanations” as explained by the prosecution.

A chilling testimony

The alleged victim gave a chilling account to Envoy Spécial a few days later. “They brutalized me and treated me like a piece of meat,” she explained. “He grabbed my neck. He put me on the bed. He undressed me like a brute. He pulled me out of bed while I was naked and lifted me by the neck, so much so that I had no more oxygen. I tried to react by slapping him. Instead of stopping him, that slap made him want to continue”.

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Audio messages that challenge the victim's version ?

Crucial evidence from the case has been leaked to the press. These are audio messages from the complainant to a friend in the hours following the alleged rape. The Argentine newspaper La Nacion revealed the content of one of these messages: "You don't know how cute that Frenchman was, the biggest, the kid was terrible". The Argentine website Clarin even reveals much more explicit messages from the complainant: “I met a French rugby player. Really tall guy. Too handsome, too handsome. I came home at 9 in the morning. At 9 o'clock! I owe you everything, you encouraged me not to stay here at home, always the same story. When I go out, I take advantage of it. He blew me away, he blew me away. He blew me away, the guy. I have marks on my back, my jaw.”

Rafael Cúneo Libarona, another lawyer for the two players, said on August 6 that “the innocence of the two players has been proven”, considering that there were “notorious contradictions” in the testimony of the 39-year-old woman. For her part, Natacha Romano, the plaintiff's lawyer, has been criticizing “manipulation” from the beginning and a “premeditated act” after the voice messages were released to the Argentine press. “There are 23 voice messages in total and only four or five have been released, in disarray and “completely taken out of context,” she said in an interview with Parisien. She also stated that the players “never got to answer if they asked the victim if she “agreed or not.”

A blood clotting disorder that relaunches the investigation ?

The two players had stated since the beginning of the case that the sexual relations with the complainant, whom they met in a nightclub, were consensual. They had denied any violence, when the plaintiff's lawyer had referred to “terrible violence”.In recent weeks, a new medical expert report had been presented to justify that the plaintiff did not suffer from a coagulation disorder. This disease (called Willebrand disease) had been invoked by the players' defense to explain the bruises found on her body. The young woman herself had admitted, initially at the beginning of the case, to suffering from this disease. A contradictory version therefore which once again fuels certain inconsistencies in the version. The experts initially called upon in this case noted "contradictory and inconsistent content when explaining the situations she is confronted with (…) which generally paint an unlikely story".

Latest updates

08:58 – The expected verdict

The verdict in the Jegou/Auradou case will be announced in a few minutes. A long-awaited court decision for the two rugby players accused for several months.