Ex-Barça player Dani Alves to be released from prison on €1m bail

A Barcelona court has granted former FC Barcelona footballer Dani Alves release from prison on €1 million bail, despite having served only a quarter of his four-and-a-half-year sentence for sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.

In addition to the bail, Alves is required to surrender both his Brazilian and Spanish passports, refrain from contacting the victim, and personally attend court every week.

The court's decision comes after Alves' defense requested his release on Tuesday, despite opposition from the prosecution and the victim's legal team.

The judges argue that the sentence imposed is much lower than the 9 years requested by the prosecution and the 12 years requested by the victims' defense, noting that Alves has already spent 14 months in preventive detention. 

The court also argues that Alves does not currently have the economic capacity he had before his arrest, as he no longer has football and advertising contracts.  

However, in setting the €1 million bail, the judges have taken into account that Alves will soon receive an important sum of funds held by the Spanish tax authorities.  

"Dangerous" precedent

The lawyer of the young woman affirmed that the release of Alves in exchange for bail is a "dangerous" precedent as it will make people think there is a certain type of justice "for the rich" and a separate judicial system for the rest of the population.

According to lawyer Ester García, Alves was already handed a lenient sentence for having paid the court €150,000, and now he can avoid the rest of his prison sentence by paying €1 million.

For García, the risk that Alves could flee the country is "obvious."

The court's decision has been received with great "indignation" by the victim, who does not understand it.