Two French rugby players arrested in Argentina for alleged sexual harassment

CNN
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Two players from the French national rugby team were arrested in Buenos Aires on Monday as part of an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman, Martín Ahumada, spokesman for the judiciary in Mendoza, a province in western Argentina, told CNN.

A judicial source told CNN that Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou were accused of being involved in an alleged incident in Mendoza, where the French team played a friendly against Argentina on Sunday.

After the match, the French team travelled to Buenos Aires, where Jegou and Aurodou were arrested.

Rafael Cúneo Libarona, a lawyer representing the players in Buenos Aires, told CNN he had spoken to both.

“They are worried, but with a clear conscience. I believe in them. I trust them,” Cúneo Libarona told CNN.

Cúneo Libarona added that the two players would travel to Mendoza on Wednesday and that he would accompany them.

CNN also asked the French Embassy in Argentina for a comment.

Florian Grill, president of the French Rugby Federation, told the media he had no details about the incident. “If the facts are correct, they are incredibly serious,” he said.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on Tuesday: “If the investigation confirms the alleged facts, this is an indescribable atrocity.”

Stade Rochelais, the club where Jegou plays, did not comment. “In the absence of any direct information on the current proceedings, the club will refrain from commenting at this time,” the institution said in a statement.

Section Paloise, Aurodous Club, said in a statement that they are awaiting the results of the ongoing investigations and will not comment in the meantime.