After being released, Daniel Alves appears in court for the first time | international football

Three days after leaving prison on provisional release, Daniel Alves presented himself to the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia for the first time, this Thursday. The measure is one that the 40-year-old Brazilian player needs to comply with to remain out of jail, while the appeals are analyzed by the Spanish courts.

Daniel Alves appears before Spanish Justice for the first time on provisional release

Daniel Alves went to court accompanied by his lawyer, Inés Guardiola. The Spanish court ordered the player to appear every Friday, but the first appearance took place this Thursday due to the Good Friday holiday. Ten appearances are equivalent to one day in prison served, for the purposes of a final conviction.

By majority vote, the 21st Section of the Barcelona Court of Justice allowed Daniel Alves to stay out of prison while the appeals are analyzed, subject to bail of 1 million euros (R$5.4 million), delivery of his Brazilian and Spanish passports , 1km distance and incommunicado with the victim, in addition to not leaving Spain and appearing in court weekly. The player’s request for provisional release was accepted after five denials.

Daniel Alves leaves prison after paying millionaire bail

In the decision issued on March 20, 2024, the court considered that, with the appeals presented by all parties, there is a possibility that the process could extend beyond half of the effective prison sentence (two years and three months) or the time maximum for preventive detention in Spain (two years). He also explained that preventive detention must be “objectively necessary” and that “either there are no other less onerous measures that can be adopted or it lasts the minimum time necessary” for the entire process.

The only vote against was from Luis Belestá. For the magistrate, Daniel Alves’ preventive detention should continue until half of the sentence (two years and three months) because “the arguments that led to preventive detention were not only confirmed but also reinforced”. He recalled that “on three occasions this court considered that there was a risk of flight, the last in November 2023, and the circumstances not only remain the same today but were also increased with the sentence and the possibility of the sentence being increased by appeal”. And he highlighted that “all sections of the court ratified decisions to extend preventive detention to avoid the risk of escape, including lower sentences than those imposed on Mr. Alves.”

The main facts of Daniel Alves’ conviction for rape in Spain

The expectation is that the appeals in the appeal room of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia will be deliberated in the coming months. All parties appealed the sentence: Daniel Alves’ defense requests acquittal; the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the victim’s lawyers demand a maximum sentence of 12 years. The case can still be taken to the Supreme Court, the legal body of last resort in Spain.

As the prison sentence imposed was low, the player’s defense believes that the arguments will fall. Before the trial, the complainant asked for the maximum sanction, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office proposed nine years in prison.