Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves, who was convicted of rape in Spain in February, has been released on bail pending his appeal after paying a one million euro bond, a court announced on Monday.
Alves, one of the most decorated footballers in the world, was sentenced last month to four-and-a-half years in prison for raping a young woman in the VIP bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.
After a Barcelona court granted his request for provisional release last Wednesday, Alves had to post bail of one million euros ($1.08 million), surrender his Spanish and Brazilian passports, remain in the country, and report to court weekly.
The payment of the bail was finalized on Monday, allowing Alves to leave Brians 2 prison, northwest of Barcelona, where he had been held since his arrest in January 2023. Brazil, his home country, does not extradite citizens sentenced in other countries.
Public prosecutors and the victim’s lawyer have appealed the decision to grant Alves bail, expressing concern that it sends the message that there are no criminal consequences for the wealthy.
During the trial, the victim testified that Alves had forcefully raped her in the nightclub’s private bathroom despite her pleas to stop, causing her anguish and terror.
Alves’ defense argued that there was sexual tension between him and the victim while they were dancing at the nightclub but insisted that her consent to dance did not imply consent to any subsequent sexual activity.