After serving nearly 25% of his sentence for rape, a Spanish court has decided that former Barcelona and Brazil football player Dani Alves can be released from prison on a conditional basis. Alves, who was given a four and a half year prison sentence last month, will be freed after posting a bond of €1 million (£853,000).
His pre-trial confinement began in January 2023. The 40-year-old was convicted in December 2022 of raping a lady in a Barcelona nightclub. The judgment was dubbed “a scandal” by the victim’s attorney. His release is subject to the requirement that he surrender both his Spanish and Brazilian passports, preventing him from leaving Spain. Additionally, he has to show up for court every week.
In addition, the court issued a restraining order that forbade him from getting close to the victim. The decision was made one day after Alves’s attorney asked for his release, citing the fact that Alves had already spent 25% of his sentence in pre-trial custody after his arrest. One judge’s dissenting vote prevented the ruling from being made unanimously, although it is still appealable.
“To me, it’s a scandal that they let a person who they know can get a million euros in no time walk free,” stated Ester Garcia, the victim’s attorney. “Outraged and dissatisfied” with the verdict, Ms. Garcia told RAC1 radio that it was “a justice (system) for the rich” and that she would file an appeal. Alves’s attorneys have not yet responded.
Prosecutors stated during Alves’s trial last month that Alves and his companion had purchased champagne for three young ladies before Alves tricked one of them into going to a VIP section of the nightclub where there was a restroom she was unaware of. They contended that he became violent at this point and had the woman have sex even though she had asked to leave several times.
As previously said, Alves had the option to go “if she wanted to”. She did not, the court determined, give her consent. Recently, a legislation was altered in Spain that established the “Only Yes is Yes” philosophy, which emphasizes the value of consent. The court stated in a statement that there was proof of the victim’s rape that went beyond her testimony.
According to the report, Alves “abruptly grabbed the complainant” and threw her to the ground. The report also stated that “the complainant said no and wanted to leave” after he had raped her while stopping her from moving.
The woman characterized the rape as having caused her “anguish and terror,” and the 23-year-old’s “uncontrollably” sobbing after exiting the restroom was recounted by one of her friends who was with her that evening. Alves often altered his testimony during his testimony.
He initially denied knowing his accuser before later asserting that they had just crossed paths in the restroom and that nothing personal had transpired between them. Then, he again altered his account, claiming that they had engaged in consenting sexual activity. “We were having a good time together,” he said.
Alves participated in over 400 games for Barcelona, where he won three Champions Leagues and six league championships in two stints. He was included in Brazil’s World Cup team for 2022.
