Dani Alves: Soccer star leaves prison after paying $1 million bond for provisional release after sexual assault conviction

By Pau Mosquera and Sammy Mncwabe, CNN

(CNN) — Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves has left prison after submitting a €1 million bond (approximately $1.08 million) to a Barcelona court required for his provisional release after being convicted of sexual assault, the Supreme Court of Justice of Catalonia said in a statement on Monday.

According to the court, Alves transferred the money into the account of Section 21 of the Provincial Court of Barcelona in Spain and the 40-year-old was later pictured leaving the Brians 2 penitentiary center. with his lawyer Inés Guardiola.

On February 22, the Barcelona provincial court sentenced Alves to four-and-a-half years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in one of the city’s nightclubs in late December 2022.

Alves’ lawyer announced an appeal of the conviction and the sentence, while both the Barcelona Prosecutor’s Office and the plaintiff also announced their decision to appeal Alves’ provisional release.

After leaving prison, the 40-year-old will have his Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated. He is also prohibited from leaving Spanish territory and must make weekly appearances at the provincial court.

As part of his release, Alves has a restraining order requiring him to stay at least one kilometer (roughly 0.6 miles) away from the plaintiff’s home, place of work or any location she tends to frequent. He is also barred from communicating with her via any means.

Alves is one of the most decorated soccer players of his generation, winning domestic titles in Spain, Italy and France. He won three Champions League titles with Barcelona in 2009, 2011 and 2015 and the Copa América with Brazil in 2007 and 2019.

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