Former Brazilian footballer Daniel “Dani” Alves de Silva, who was convicted of rape in Spain, has paid a bail of one million euros (about 25 million crowns) and can leave pre-trial detention until the court decides on his appeal. writes the British newspaper The Guardian.
Forty-year-old Dani Alves, one of the world’s most prized footballers, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison last month for raping a young woman in the VIP toilet of a Barcelona nightclub, which was supposed to have happened in the early hours of December 31, 2022, the newspaper adds.
Last Wednesday, according to the Guardian, a Barcelona court surprisingly granted Alves’ request for pretrial release pending a hearing on his appeal, on the condition that he post a one-million-euro bond, hand over his Spanish and Brazilian passports to prevent him from leaving the country, and a weekly will appear in court. He is also forbidden to approach a raped woman.
The appeal process can take several months. Prosecutors and the woman’s lawyer, Ester Garciová, appealed against the decision to release Alves on bail. Garcia considers the release of Alves a dangerous message for society, adding that her client is “very angry, very disheartened and very frustrated”, the Guardian quotes.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva also joined in the criticism of the court, saying that money “does not atone for the crime that a man commits against a woman by raping her.” In 2022, the Spanish government passed new legislation dubbed the “only yes means yes” law, which requires explicit consent to a sexual act, adds the Guardian.
