A Spanish judge ordered this Friday preventive detention without bail for the former Brazilian soccer player Daniel Alvesaccused by a woman of having sexually assaulted her in a nightclub in Barcelona last December.
«The magistrate has agreed to the communicated provisional prison and without bail for an open cause for the crime of sexual assault,» excluded in a statement from the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia.
In this way, the judge endorsed the request of the prosecution, which hours before had requested that the former Barça player, who aligned with Brazil in the World Cup in QatarHe was sent to prison to await trial.
Alves had been arrested on Friday morning after being summoned for questioning over an alleged sexual assault on a woman at a nightclub in the Catalan capital at the end of December, explained a source from the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police. According to a source close to the case, the young woman accuses Alves of rape, one maintained that she ratified this Friday.
What’s next for Alves?
The athlete is 39 years old.
Instagram: @danialves
In sports, Alves is already suffering the first consequences. The Pumas of Mexican soccer announced the separation of Dani Alves this Friday after the Brazilian soccer player was sent to prison.
By regulation, all the contracts of soccer players belonging to Liga MX clubs have a clause that stipulates that the labor agreement will be terminated in the event that they are found guilty of a crime for which they must pay a sentence, according to a report in the newspaper El Universal.
As for his process, according to legal sources, in accordance with the criteria of the Prosecutor’s Office and the private prosecution brought by the complainant, the head of the investigating court number 15 of Barcelona has decreed unconditional imprisonment for the footballer, considering that They present a high risk of flight, given their economic capacities and the fact that they reside outside of Spain.
The magistrate reasoned that Brazil does not have extradition agreements with Spain, which increases the risk that the athlete will try to flee from Spanish justice and take refuge in his country of origin.
‘Up to 12 years in prison’
According to the Penal Code in force in Spain, Alves could face sentences of 1 to 4 years in prison if he is convicted of sexual assault.
If the charges are for rape, he would face a sentence ranging from 6 to 12 years in prison, according to Spanish media reports.
The information that has transpired indicates that the order is for prison without bail. In law, bail is used to indicate that a person charged in a judicial proceeding can be released from jail until a sentence is handed down, in exchange for the amount of money determined by the judge. This is not the case of the footballer.
Alves ended up jailed «until a trial date is set,» according to the sports network ESPN, citing judicial sources.
The outlet adds that in «extreme cases» provisional detention can be extended «up to a maximum of four years.»
«The footballer, however, faces a stay in prison that could be several months, waiting for his team of lawyers to request his release again until the trial is held,» adds ESPN.
After the judicial resolution in the dungeons of the City of Justice, the former Barcelona player entered this Friday afternoon in the Brians 1 prison in Sant Esteve Sesrovires (Barcelona).
It was at Barça, between 2008 and 2016, when the right-back suffered his most glorious stage, accompanied by names like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, winning 23 titles, including three Champions Leagues, six Spanish Leagues and four Copas del Rey. .
In Qatar, he became the oldest Brazilian footballer to line up for a World Cup.
Alves began his career with Esporte Clube Bahía in his country, and in 2002 he signed for Sevilla FC, where he spent six years before joining Barça. Then would come Juventus in Turin, the French PSG, where he met his compatriot Neymar, and a return to his country in 2019, before returning to Barça for six months in the 2021-2022 season.
PAUL ROMERO
Editor of EL TIEMPO
With AFP and EFE