Rugby-Argentine court upholds dismissal of rape charges against two French players

An Argentine appeal court has confirmed the dismissal of aggravated rape charges against French international rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, according to the case file seen by Reuters.

"After analysing all the evidence gathered in the case, it is clear that the version of events maintained by the plaintiff is not supported by the objective elements in the case file," the ruling stated.

"On the contrary, the video evidence, the testimonies, the medical and psychological expert reports, as well as the messages from the plaintiff in the hours and days following the events, have implacably refuted the accusatory hypothesis."

The complainant, a 39-year-old woman, had appealed against the December 10 dismissal of the case and a hearing was held early last week.

"This is the judicial epilogue of this case, which is symbolic and special because it has shown that you can be accused without foundation by someone who lied to the courts," Auradou's and Jegou's French lawyer Antoine Vey told Reuters.

"We've had a succession of rulings that have established the players' innocence."

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.

Auradou and Jegou played the first two Six Nations matches for France against Wales and England, and are part of the squad preparing to face Italy on Sunday.