CONVICTED rapist Dani Alves has left prison today after spending just weeks behind bars.
The ex-Barcelona ace paved the way for his release after stumping up the £850,000 bail he needed and should be back in the comfort of his Spanish home in the coming hours.
Alves was silent as he walked out alongside his lawyer Ines Guardiola at around 4:25pm local time.
The disgraced ex footballer hopped straight into a car wearing jeans, and a black jacket over a white roll-neck jumper.
Despite only spending a few weeks in jail he was seen sporting a moustache as he left.
The footballer is also understood to have complied with the other orders of the three judges who said he could leave jail despite his recent rape conviction by handing in his Spanish and Brazilian passports.
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He was told he could leave Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona last Wednesday after winning his bid to appeal his four-and-a-half year jail sentence from the comfort of his own home rather than a cell.
But the 40-year-old spent the weekend still locked up as he failed to find the cash to get free from the Spanish jail.
Brazilian teammate Neymar’s dad had been expected to help Alves pay the money to secure his freedom, but he issued a statement denying he would hand over any cash after coming under political pressure in his homeland.
The Brazilian had made several attempts before his conviction to get bail, but they were turned down partly on the basis he was a flight risk.
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Alves is now set to live in the comfort of his £4million home in Esplugues de LLobregat – a 25-minute drive west of Barcelona – as his lawyers go through the appeal process, reports say.
The dad-of-two managed to pay his bail earlier today.
A court spokesman said: “We inform you that Daniel Alves’ bail bond has been deposited in the account of the 21st section of the Barcelona Court of Appeal.”
Prosecutors have appealed the decision to release him on bail, but the appeal did not affect today’s release.
The 23-year-old victim’s lawyer, Ester Garcia, described Alves’ release as “scandalous”, branding it as “justice for the rich”.
International footballer Alves was accused of raping the woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, 2022.
Alves claimed the sexual encounter was consensual, insisting “he would never hurt anyone”.
I’m very surprised and totally outraged because it’s like this is justice for the rich
Ester Garcia
He was found guilty of rape and sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars in February.
But on March 20, 2024 a court ruled he could appeal his conviction and get out of his hellhole jail while his team, headed by Ines Guardiola, carried out the appeal.
His bail was set at his €1million (£850,000) – a figure originally thought to be getting paid for by pal Neymar Jr’s father, say LaVanguardia.
Neymar da Silva Santos Sr had been expected to help Alves pay the money to secure his freedom, but he issued a statement denying he would hand over any cash after coming under political pressure in his homeland.
He said: “For us, for my family, this matter is over. Full stop.”
Neymar’s father didn’t specify how much they gave Alves but added that it’s a “different situation” now because the three judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court ruled against him.
“With the Spanish court ruling for his conviction, there’s speculation and an attempt to associate my name and my son’s to a matter that is not within our reach any longer,” Neymar’s father said in the family’s statement.
He added that he hopes Alves “can find all the answers he looks for in his own family.”
Alves’ team requested that the disgraced full back was released as he had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest in January 2023.
Garcia blasted the decision to let him walk out as she fumed on RAC1 radio: “I’m very surprised and totally outraged… because it’s like this is justice for the rich.”
Before adding: “It is scandalous that they can free a person who they know can get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat.”
The bail conditions set by the court say Alves must stay at least 1,000m away from the home of the victim or any other place she frequently goes.
He is also banned from ever contacting her and must handover his Brazilian and Spanish passports.
The court feared Alves could leave Spain and travel to his native Brazil to try and avoid serving anymore jail time.
He will now return to his multimillion-pound home a short drive from Barcelona.
It was built in 2010 when he was still married to his ex-wife Dinorah Santana before he met and married Tenerife-born model Joana Sanz.
Sanz revealed last year she had demanded a divorce after Alves admitted for the first time to having sex with the woman he was found guilty of raping, but claimed as he still does that the relations were consensual.
WORLDWIDE REACTIONS
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva condemned Alves’ release.
He said on Wednesday: “The money that Daniel Alves has, the money that someone can lend him, cannot buy the offence that a man does to a woman by committing rape.”
It comes as residents of Barcelona – where Alves was once seen as an icon – blasted the court’s ruling to free him on bail.
I think it’s shameful and they are showing once again that woman don’t matter, that our rights don’t matter
Barcelona resident
One woman said: “I think it’s shameful and they are showing once again that woman don’t matter, that our rights don’t matter.
“If you have money and you are a man, you can do whatever you want and you won’t have to pay.”
As a second angered local told AS TV: “Sentences must be served and executed equally.
“If you have a sentence then you have to fulfil it not just pay their way out of it because they have a lot of money.”
As a man also gave his view saying “evil” things can’t be forgotten about simply because of money.
Alves’ mum posted a collection of pictures on Instagram on Wednesday of her son hours after he was allowed to make bail and leave prison.
They were captioned: “Victory has come for the honor and glory of the Lord, thank you my God.
“What God has joined together no one can separate.”
In a separate post she also said: “For all those who only believe in the justice of men @danialves is free.
“Free from European justice as I was told. But I believe in divine justice. And I always believed in his innocence.”
And Alves’ former wife Joana Sanz deactivated her Instagram account just hours after he was granted release on bail.
Despite filing for divorce in 2023 after the explosive accusations surfaced, Joana did back Alves in court claiming she was with him the night of the accusations.
It is currently uncertain what the pair’s status is after Joana accidentally shared a bizarre letter from her rapist ex where he declares his love for her from jail.
WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT?
In a trial held in Barcelona in February 2024, he denied the allegations saying the sexual encounter had been completely consensual.
The three-day trial saw the victim, witnesses, and experts testify.
His accuser told the prosecution she had willingly entered the bathroom with him, but was then forced to stay after wanting to leave.
She told the court Alves allegedly slapped and insulted her before forcing her into having sex.
Alves did confirm he had sex with the woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
Alves was found guilty of rape and sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars.
The court also ordered Alves to pay £130,000 (€150k) in compensation to the victim.
The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence to consider the rape proven
Court statement
He also faced a nine-and-a-half-year restraining order from the accuser.
The court said in a statement: “The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven.”
Following the sentence, Alves was sent to Brians 2 prison in Barcelona.
Despite filing for divorce in 2023 after the explosive accusations surfaced, Joana did back Alves when she took to the stand.
During her testimony on February 6, 2024, Joana claimed they were not legally divorced and that she had been with Alves on the night of the accusation.
Joana told the court Alves “smelled of alcohol” and “he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed” after arriving home from the night out.
But she said she didn’t want to talk to him because of “the state he was in”.
A disgraced Alves publicly apologised to Joana during an interview from his prison cell in 2023.
He told Spanish reporter Mayka Navarro: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.
“I have already done that here in prison, but I have to do it publicly, because the story is public, the offence I caused her is public and she deserves that public apology.”
It comes as former Man City star Robinho, 40, was arrested at his home on Thursday by Federal Police in Sao Paulo.
He is now set to finally serve his nine-year jail sentence for a gang-rape committed in Italy, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled.
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Italy issued an international arrest warrant for Robinho, but the former Premier League star managed to dodge jail for seven years while living in Brazil.
The former Santos star says he is innocent.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
