Daniel Alves has a trial date scheduled in Spain

The Spanish Court confirmed this Wednesday (20) that the trial of Daniel Alves It will take place on the 5th, 6th and 7th of February. The Brazilian is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December last year. The player has been in prison since January 20 and faces up to 12 years in prison, the maximum penalty, if convicted, for sexual assault charges in the country. Daniel Alves pleads his innocence and claims that the sexual relationship was consensual.

Despite the request for 12 years in prison, if convicted, Daniel Alves should not serve the full sentence. The Brazilian could remain detained for a maximum of six years. This is because at the beginning of the legal case, the player’s defense paid the court the amount of 150 thousand euros (around R$800 thousand) in compensation to the complainant. The woman’s lawyer contests the possible reduction of the possible sentence.

In November, the Barcelona Provincial Court denied for the third time the defense’s request for Daniel Alves to answer the charges in freedom. The Spanish court justified the need to keep him in prison by pointing out the fact that he has sufficient financial resources to plan an escape from the country. Furthermore, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requests ten years of supervised release after serving his sentence in prison, and that he be prohibited from approaching the victim, as well as communicating with her, for the same period.

REMEMBER THE CASE

The case had its first repercussions in the Spanish press last year. On December 31, the daily ABC revealed that Daniel Alves had sexually assaulted a young woman at the Sutton nightclub the day before. The woman was accompanied by friends at all times and the nightclub’s security team called the police, who took the victim’s statement.

On January 10, the Spanish court accepted the complaint and began investigating the Brazilian player, who, for many years, defended the Barcelona shirt. Inconsistencies in the versions given by the athlete to the Court, in addition to the possibility of fleeing the European country, led judge Maria Concepción Canton Martín to order his arrest on January 20th.

During the period he was in prison, the Brazilian changed his testimony more than once, changed defense lawyers and was denied other resources to answer the accusation in freedom. Furthermore, he entered into divorce proceedings with the Spanish model and businesswoman Joana Sanz, which ended up not going through. In the contradictions, Daniel Alves even said that he did not know the woman who accused him. Afterwards, he argued that there was sexual intercourse with her, but consensually.