Daniel Alves leaves prison in Barcelona after 14 months | international football

Daniel Alves leaves prison after paying bail

Sentenced to four and a half years in prison for rape, the full-back spent 14 months in pre-trial detention and was released at around 12:25 pm (Brasília time) this Monday. He left accompanied by his lawyer, Inés Guardiola. Bruno Brasil, a friend who accompanied the player on the night of the rape, was also present.

Prison employees in Catalonia were protesting at the time of Alves’s departure, but the demonstrations are not related to the Brazilian’s case. Two weeks ago, the region’s prison system is experiencing a crisis following the murder of cook Nuria López, by an inmate in the Mas d’Enric prison, in Tarragona.

To prevent a possible escape, the court ordered that all of the player’s passports be handed over. In addition, he will have to comply with a distance of 1km and be incommunicado with the victim, he will not be able to leave Spain and he will have to appear in court weekly.

Daniel Alves had his request for provisional release accepted by a majority of votes, at the 21st Section of the Barcelona Court of Justice, after five denials.

Spanish court grants provisional freedom to Daniel Alves

The 21st Section of the Barcelona Court of Justice considered that, with the appeals presented by all parties, there is a possibility that the process could extend beyond half of the effective prison sentence (two years and three months) or the maximum time for preventive detention in Spain (two years). He also explained that preventive detention must be “objectively necessary” and that “either there are no other less onerous measures that can be adopted or it lasts the minimum time necessary” for the entire process.

It took Daniel Alves five days to raise the amount. After transferring the amount to the court’s account, the prison administration was instructed to release it. The player explored several options to make the payment as quickly as possible.

With assets valued at around 60 million euros (R$324 million), the player is prevented from moving part of your money which he has due to a legal dispute in Brazil with his ex-wife, Dinorah Santana. The case concerns alimony for the two children they have.

He has also had securities blocked in Spain since the rape accusation. The 21st Section of the Barcelona Court of Justice accepted the request for provisional release made by Alves’ defense, with the condition of paying bail.

During the trial, Inés Guardiola, the player’s lawyer, stated that the Brazilian had a debt of 500 thousand euros (R$2.7 million) with the Spanish Ministry of Finance and two accounts in the country, one with 50 thousand euros (R$ $272 thousand) and another with a negative balance of 20 thousand euros (R$109 thousand).

There is still a possibility that the Spanish tax authorities deposit a refund of 1.2 million euros (approximately R$6.45 million) for the player due to a lawsuit he filed against the country’s governing body for disagreeing with the taxation of amounts charged for agent Joaquín Macanás’ intermediation services, at the time of contract renewal with Barcelona between 2013 and 2014. To date, the deposit has not been made.

The only vote against provisional freedom was from Luis Belestá. For the magistrate, Daniel Alves’ preventive detention should continue until half of the sentence (two years and three months) because “the arguments that led to preventive detention were not only confirmed but also reinforced”.

Belestá recalled that “on three occasions this court considered that there was a risk of flight, the last in November 2023, and the circumstances not only remain the same today but were also increased with the sentence and the possibility of the sentence being increased by appeal”. And he highlighted that “all sections of the court ratified decisions to extend preventive detention to avoid the risk of escape, including lower sentences than those imposed on Mr. Alves.”

The main facts of Daniel Alves’ conviction for rape in Spain

The expectation is that the appeals in the appeal room of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia will be deliberated in the coming months. All parties appealed the sentence: Daniel Alves’ defense requests acquittal; the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the victim’s lawyers demand a maximum sentence of 12 years. The case can still be taken to the Supreme Court, the legal body of last resort in Spain.

As the prison sentence imposed was low, the player’s defense believes that the arguments will fall. Before the trial, the complainant asked for the maximum sanction, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office proposed nine years in prison.