Robinho’s friend says that the former player was unfairly arrested – 04/04/2024 – Sport

Clayton Santos, one of the five friends who were with Robinho on the night he, according to the Italian justice system, participated in the gang rape of a young Albanian woman in a nightclub in Milan in 2013, said that the former player’s arrest is a injustice and that the sexual relationship was consensual.

“Robinho is unjustly imprisoned. He did not commit this crime”, he stated, in an interview with UOL.

Santos denied the victim’s version that the group of friends had put some type of drug in her drink to make her unconscious. He also said that the woman was fully aware of what she was doing during the sexual act.

“Robinho didn’t rape anyone, Robinho’s friends didn’t rape anyone. We took part in an orgy, with the conscience of the whole world.”

In audios recorded by the police that were part of the material in the process that convicted the Brazilian, however, the former player admitted that she was unconscious. “That’s why I’m laughing, I don’t care. The girl was extremely drunk, she doesn’t even know who I am,” said the former player.

Santos also suggested that the woman made the accusations out of financial interests. According to him, the group fell into a trap. “I really believe that she found an opportunity to change her life and committed this somewhat thoughtless act that destroyed Robinho’s life.”

The former player was arrested on March 21 to serve in Brazil the nine-year prison sentence he was sentenced to by the Italian courts.

According to the investigation by the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office, Robinho and five other men committed group sexual violence against the victim, who, drunk and unconscious, was taken to the establishment’s dressing room, where she was raped several times. The Brazilian has always denied the crime.

One of Robinho’s friends, driver Ricardo Falco, was also convicted and has an ongoing case at the STJ (Superior Court of Justice), running the risk of, like the former player, having to serve his sentence in Brazil.

Because they left Europe a few days after the night of the crime, the other four accused men — Rudney Gomes, Clayton Santos, Alexsandro da Silva and Fabio Galan — could not be notified, and their case was separated from the process. They were not tried or convicted by the courts of the European country.

Robinho was convicted in Italy in the first instance in 2017. In 2020, in the second instance. In 2022, in the third and final instance.

Since then, the former player has not left Brazil to avoid being arrested by Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization). The STJ, however, accepted Italy’s request for the former athlete to serve his sentence in Brazil. Initially, the European country demanded Robinho’s extradition, but legislation prevents this from happening to native Brazilians.