Two French international rugby players on tour in Argentina were being transferred Thursday from Interpol’s Buenos Aires headquarters to the city of Mendoza, where they will be questioned over alleged rape.
Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, were arrested Monday in Buenos Aires after an Argentine woman accused them of raping her multiple times and savagely beating her in a hotel room in Mendoza after a match.
They have denied the accusation, and say sexual relations with the woman were consensual.
Javier Garcia, spokesman for Mendoza’s security ministry, told AFP the suspects were being taken by road to the city, 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) west of Buenos Aires, in a trip that can take between 12 and 15 hours.
After the initial questioning in Mendoza, and medical examinations, prosecutors will have 24 hours to decide whether to charge the players. The deadline can be extended once by another 24 hours.
If charged, a hearing will be held 10 days later to determine whether they will have to await trial in custody.
The sentence for sexual assault in Argentina ranges from six to 15 years, according to the penal code. However, this could go up to 20 years in the case of two aggressors.
The accusations, which have left French rugby reeling and dominated news headlines in Argentina, came during a tour of South America by the French national squad.
The alleged attack took place Saturday night at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying after the match in which they beat Argentina.
The Argentine woman was hospitalized on Thursday, her lawyer, Natacha Romano, told AFP.
