Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves (40) is to be released from jail pending an appeal against his rape conviction in exchange for posting bail of one million euros, a Barcelona court said Wednesday.
The ruling came a day after his lawyer requested his release on grounds he had already served a quarter of his four-and-a-half-year sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest in January 2023.
In its ruling, the court granted him “provisional release” in exchange for “the bail payment of 1,000,000 euros” also requiring he hand over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remain in Spain and present himself to court “on a weekly basis.”
Public prosecutors had opposed his request, arguing he posed a high-flight risk.
One of the world’s most decorated footballers who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Alves was sentenced on February 22nd after being convicted of raping a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.