The Brazilian footballer Dani Alves he was acquitted in the second degree from the charge of rape: the Appellate Section of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia overturned the sentence handed down in the first instance, also annulling all the precautionary measures against the former Barcelona and Juventus full-back.
Alves had been sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison for an alleged episode of sexual violence that occurred on the night of New Year's Eve 2022 in a nightclub in Barcelona. But according to the appeal judges, there is a lack of sufficient evidence to confirm the footballer's guilt, and the testimony of the alleged victim was judged not reliable.
In the operative part of the sentence, the Court spoke of “gaps, inconsistencies and contradictions” in the reconstruction of the facts provided by the woman, underlining how her version differed significantly from video images recorded inside the premises before entering the bathroom, where the attack allegedly took place.
The ruling also the appeals of the prosecution were rejected, who asked for theincrease of sentence to 9 years, and of the private prosecution, which aimed at a conviction of 12 years in prison. Arrested in January 2023, Dani Alves spent 14 months in prison as a precautionary measure, and then released on bail in March of the same year. With this acquittal, pronounced unanimously from the appeal section, the former champion returns free from all charges.
Article published on March 28, 2025 - 12pm
The Court's decision seems strange to me because there are similar cases where the victim has clear evidence. It is important that justice works well and not only based on impressions or unreliable testimonies. Let's hope that in the future the victims will be listened to more carefully.