A Barcelona court has rejected an appeal to overturn bail granted to a former Brazil footballer who was convicted of rape. The player, aged 40, had been in prison since January 2023 before being released on bail after paying €1 million ($1.08m).
The former Barcelona star was sentenced to 4½ years in prison on Feb. 22 for sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022. The state Prosecutors' Office and the victim appealed against the sentence, arguing that the risk of the player fleeing had increased following the guilty verdict.
Despite the appeals, the court dismissed the requests to revoke bail. The player, who surrendered his Brazilian and Spanish passports, must now report to a Barcelona court weekly and is prohibited from leaving the country.
The player's legal team is seeking his acquittal, while prosecutors are pushing for an increase in his prison sentence to nine years. The victim's lawyer is advocating for a 12-year jail term. No date has been set for the appeal trial.
