Former Barcelona and Brazil right-back Dani Alves has reportedly been acquited of rape allegations made against him due to “contradictions” in facts.
Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in jail in February 2024 after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Spanish nightclub in December 2022. However, this week, the appeals division of Catalonia’s High Court of Justice upheld the appeal by the ex-Barcelona defender and acquitted him, saying the case against him had “inconsistencies and contradictions”.
The appeal court said in the ruling that the original case, “contains, throughout the reasoning, a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment and their consequences.”
He also added that the accuser’s account ought to have been subjected to greater scrutiny but apparently “was not compared with the fingerprint and biological evidence, which support Alves’ case”.
The Catalan court also lifted all restrictions on the ex-Brazil international, who was in jail between January 2023 to March 2024 before being released on bail. That means the 41-year-old no longer has a travel ban or a restraining order. However, the decision can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.
According to Alves’ lawyer, Ines Guardiola, the Brazilian is “very happy.” “He is innocent, that is demonstrated. Justice has spoken.” he told RAC1 radio.
DC is a sport reporting platform crafted to dish out reliable updates on sporting activities worldwide.
