Former Barcelona defender Brazilian Dani Alves will remain in pretrial detention awaiting trial on rape charges as he poses a great danger, the Barcelona District Court said on Tuesday.
“There is an increased risk of flight, due, in particular, to the severe punishment that can be imposed for this case, the numerous evidence of his crime and the large financial resources that would allow him to leave Spain at any time. “, the court said in a statement.
The court considered that the confiscation of the passport of 39-year-old Alves would not prevent him from leaving Spain “by air, by sea or even by land without documents.”
If he returns home to Brazil, the court considers that he will not be extradited to Spain because the South American country does not normally extradite its citizens.
Prosecutors have opposed Alves’ release after a young woman alleges last January that a Brazilian international defender raped her in the bathroom of a nightclub in Barcelona in late December.
Sources close to the case said the Brazilian player, who initially denied knowledge of the allegations against him, changed his story several times, but later claimed that what happened between him and the woman happened with the consent of both parties.
Alves is on trial for sexual assault, which in Spain’s penal code includes rape.
The investigating judge last January ruled that al-Fish should remain in pre-trial detention, taking into account, among other things, inconsistencies in his initial testimony and the high risk of absconding.
Notably, Alves was expelled from his Mexican club Pumas Onam after his arrest.
Source: AFP.
