Dani Alves remains in custody. A court in Barcelona has rejected an application for the release of the ex-Barça star who is suspected of rape. The reason given is the high risk of absconding. The case of Robinho, who has so far escaped imprisonment, is different.
Brazilian footballer Dani Alves remains in custody in Spain on charges of rape. This was announced by the responsible court in Barcelona. The judges rejected the request of his criminal defense lawyer Cristobal Martell to have the 39-year-old former Barcelona star released from prison. A 23-year-old woman reported to Alves that she raped her in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30. On January 20, he was therefore arrested during a visit to Barcelona and taken into custody. Alves had initially denied any sexual contact. His lawyer later stated that the sexual acts had taken place with the woman's consent.
The reasons given by the judges for not dismissing Alves included the seriousness of the allegation and the risk of absconding. At a court hearing last Thursday, the defense attorney suggested that Alves could hand in his passport and report regularly to the police. The court saw the risk that the very wealthy Alves could flee to his native country of Brazil, where he would be safe from extradition, but too great.
The Brazilian was under contract with FC Barcelona until 2022 and played for Mexican club UNAM Pumas until his arrest. At the 2022 World Cup he made two appearances for the Selecao. He played his last of 126 games in the 4-1 round of 16 against South Korea in early December.
The situation with Robinho is different from that of Alves. The 39-year-old Brazilian was sentenced to nine years in prison in Italy in early 2022 for gang raping a 23-year-old in Milan in 2013. The public prosecutor's office in Milan had requested the extradition of the convict and issued an international arrest warrant against him. The Italian application had been rejected by Brazil. The former striker faces arrest if he travels to a country with which Italy has signed an extradition treaty.
The Brazilian constitution does not allow the extradition of its nationals. In January, Justice Minister Flavio Dino announced that "the sentence could be carried out in Brazil". However, this only needs to be checked once the application has been submitted. The Italian judiciary has now made the request, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the weekend. According to experts, the process could take several years.
