Ex-Barcelona player, Dani Alves is slated to face trial following accusations of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub.
News reached the 40-year-old Brazilian international at the prison near Barcelona, where he has been under preventive custody since January 20, following his apprehension.
Three judges at Barcelona’s Provincial Court said in a written document, made public on Tuesday: ‘We consider there is sufficient prima facie evidence at this stage to agree the opening of the trial in the terms requested by state prosecutors and the prosecutor acting privately for the alleged victim.’
‘The statements the alleged victim has made and witness evidence and expert reports that form part of these proceedings can be considered as sufficient in that regard, without prejudice to the final verdict.’
The 23-year-old who claims to be the victim alleges sexual assault on December 30 last year. Alves disputes any wrongdoing, maintaining that the encounter with the accuser was consensual.
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Within the next five working days, state prosecutors and the lawyer of the alleged victim are tasked with presenting their indictments. These documents will outline potential prison sentences, fines, and compensation orders sought for the footballer in the event of a guilty verdict.
The defense lawyer, allotted the same duration, will submit written arguments asserting Alves’s innocence and making a compelling case for his acquittal from the alleged wrongdoing.
No specific trial date has been set, but expectations point to an early occurrence next year. Reports in Spain hint at the possibility of a 15-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.
The father of two, formerly with Mexican side UNAM Pumas, faced dismissal after his arrest in Barcelona earlier this year. Despite multiple bail requests, all were rejected by judges who emphasized the coherence of the alleged victim’s account and Alves’s changing narrative as evidence emerged.
Alves, before his arrest, insisted he had never met his female accuser, a claim he later withdrew post-detainment. He subsequently confessed to marital infidelity with his model wife Joana Sanz but argued that the encounter was consensual.
In an exclusive interview from his cell in Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona in June with Spanish TV and newspaper reporter Mayka Navarro, he claimed: ‘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.’
He added: ‘I can only think that she felt bad after having sex, that she took a decision and that she has not been capable of getting herself out of the mess she’s got into and has got me into.’
‘I appeal to her conscience. There hasn’t been a single night that I haven’t slept well. Not a single night. My conscience is clear. I’ve never voluntarily hurt anyone. And I didn’t hurt her that night either. I don’t know if her conscience is clear and if she sleeps well at night. But I forgive her.’