The highly acclaimed Brazilian footballer, Dani Alves, found himself amidst a legal quagmire as he was sentenced to a period of 4 years and 6 months for the grave charge of sexual assault. This judgement was delivered by section 12 of the Barcelona court, constituted by a robust panel of three magistrates. Alves, known for his erstwhile association with esteemed football clubs like Barcelona and Juventus, found himself in the courtrooms flanked by his lawyer, Inés Guardiola. He was up against the public prosecutor, Elisabet Jiménez, and the prosecutor, Ester García. Spanish media outlets reported that the sentence was delivered to Alves in person on the morning of the verdict announcement. The trial concluded on February 7, following three exhaustive hearings, and the final decision of the judges was made 15 days post the completion of the hearings.
The incident that led to such a severe sentence took place in the Sutton nightclub, located in the heart of Barcelona. According to the court documents, the events unfolded on the night between 30 and 31 December 2022. Since January 20, 2023, Alves has been held in custody at the Can Brians 2 penitentiary center, marking over a year of his life spent behind bars. Throughout the trial, Alves vehemently maintained his claim that any sexual acts were consensual. However, the victim, the girl who reported him, firmly stood by her accusation.
As per the Brazilian law, Alves could have been potentially sentenced to a maximum period of twelve years as stipulated by article 179 of the Penal Code. The Prosecutor’s Office had initially proposed a nine-year sentence and the public prosecution had recommended the maximum possible sentence. As per Articles 20 and 21, alcohol, if involved, could have been considered a mitigating substance. However, the saga of Dani Alves’ legal battle doesn’t conclude with this sentence. After the judgement of the Barcelona Court, Alves’ defense team will have the opportunity to appeal to the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia. If the verdict still doesn’t favor Alves, they can further appeal to the Supreme Court. To date, the court has consistently denied Alves’ requests for provisional release due to their assessment of the player’s high risk of flight.
