Ex-Barça player Dani Alves asks for temporary release pending appeal

Former FC Barcelona footballer Dani Alves has asked Barcelona Court to temporarily release him from prison while he awaits the appeal in his rape case. 

In February, Alves was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at a Barcelona nightclub and was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, which both he and the prosecutor appealed.

On Tuesday, the Brazilian asked for his release via a video call from Brians prison, where he has been held since January 2023, arguing that he has full trust in the justice system and would never flee.

His defense team argued that Alves doesn’t have the economic means to flee and that his sentence is below five years, of which he has already served a fourth.

A short sentence, part of which has already been served, should theoretically be enough to request release, according to legal sources, although the sentence would have to be final for this to be applicable.

In exchange for his release and to ensure that he doesn’t flee, Alves has offered to post bail of €50,000, as well as surrender his Brazilian and Spanish passports and avoid contact with the victim. He would also stay in Barcelona, where he shares a home with his wife, Joana Sanz, from whom he hasn’t separated.

The prosecutor, on the other hand, stated that the risk of flight of the footballer would be even higher now because of his high economic capacity and his foreign passport.

The victim’s lawyer also argued that Alves is more likely to flee now because he has already been convicted.