Robinho at AC Milan in 2011. — © AFP
Brazilian former top footballer Robinho was arrested on Thursday in Santos, the city in southeastern Brazil where he lives. He will have to serve a nine-year prison sentence without respite for a gang rape in Italy, the police said.
Source: BELGA
Today at 01:15
Earlier on Thursday, the Brazilian Supreme Court had rejected the request of Robinho, who wanted to continue legal proceedings to temporarily avoid his prison sentence.
Robinho, now 40, was sentenced in absentia in Italy in 2017 to a nine-year prison term because he took part in the gang rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in a nightclub in Milan in January 2013, while he was playing for AC Milan. The Brazilian has always denied the accusations, but the sentence was first confirmed on appeal and then, in January 2022, finally confirmed by the Italian Court of Cassation.
Italy submitted an extradition request shortly afterwards, in February 2022. But because the Brazilian constitution prohibits the extradition of its citizens, the competent court considered whether the former striker should serve his sentence in Brazil. Nine judges voted in favor on Wednesday, two were against. He was supposed to go to prison with immediate effect, but his lawyers petitioned the Supreme Court to keep him free until all appeals were exhausted.
Robinho wanted to make a comeback to his youth club Santos in October 2020, but after protests from supporters and sponsors, the contract was quickly terminated. The striker, who also had a past with Real Madrid and Manchester City, among others, then stopped playing football.
Robinho bij Atlético Mineiro in 2017. — © AFP
2024-03-22 00:15:20
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