Disgraced former Brazil footballer Dani Alves has been granted bail, a Barcelona court ruled on Wednesday. The court said Alves would be able to secure the conditional release after paying the $1.08 million bail bond fee.
The former Barcelona player will be coming out of jail after serving about a quarter of his four-and-a-half-year sentence for rape, handed to him last month.
The Brazilian had appealed the sentence and requested to be released on bail at a hearing, reiterating that he would not flee the country.
«I believe in justice. I’m not going to run away and I will be at the disposal of the court until the end,» said Alves during the bail hearing.
On Wednesday, the court read out the conditions for Alves' release which include relinquishing both his Brazilian and Spanish passports so he cannot leave Spain as well as an obligation to appear before the court on a weekly basis. Cumulatively, Alves has so far spent 14 months behind bars.
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What was the court verdict?
Alves was handed the prison sentence last month after being found guilty in a December 2022 sexual assault case. He was also ordered to pay 50,000 Euros ($162,990) to the victim.
The second-most decorated footballer of all time in terms of trophies won, Alves was accused of raping a woman in the bathroom of Sutton Nightclub VIP section on New Year’s Eve in 2022.
«The court considers as proven the fact that the defendant abruptly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the ground and penetrated her vaginally, preventing her from moving, while the complainant said no and wanted to leave,» the Barcelona court ruled.
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