Robinho was told to serve his sentence in his home country
Former Manchester City and Brazil player Robinho will reportedly serve a nine-year prison sentence in his home country.
In 2017, Robinho and five other Brazilians were found guilty in Italy of the gang rape of a 22-year-old girl in a Milan nightclub in January 2013 and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Italian authorities requested the 40-year-old's extradition in January 2022 so that he could serve his sentence in the country where the crime was committed.
But Brazil does not allow the extradition of its citizens, so it was never approved, meaning Robinho has been living in Brazil for the past seven years without being arrested.
He could be arrested if he travels to any country with which the Italian government has an extradition agreement.
But following a request from Italy, Brazil's high court has now voted overwhelmingly to allow Robinho to serve his sentence in his home country.
According to Globo, the court voted 9 to 2 that he must serve his sentence in Brazil. It also decided that he should serve his sentence immediately.
The outlet said the former footballer would be arrested in Santos, where he currently lives.
However, his lawyers said he would remain free pending a possible appeal, the BBC reported.
Robinho has always maintained his innocence. In his appeal against his conviction, Robinho admitted he did have “contact” with the woman and insisted it was consensual.
But the Milan Court of Appeal found that he had “degraded” and “cruelly humiliated” the victim, upholding the original sentence at a hearing in December 2020.
In January 2022, Italy's Supreme Court rejected Robinho's final appeal against his conviction.
The evidence used to convict the former AC Milan striker included intercepted messages, phone calls and messages between the footballer and others suspected of being involved in the attack.
One of the messages showed the 38-year-old woman saying: “It made me laugh because I'm not interested, the woman was drunk and she didn't even know what was going on.”
Robinho won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid before moving to Manchester City on transfer deadline day in September 2008 for a then British record fee of £32.5 million.
After just two seasons in Manchester, he moved to AC Milan, where he spent five years. It was during this time that he committed the crime.
The Brazilian subsequently played in China and Brazil.
He also made 100 international appearances for his country.
Related Links:
Man becomes first person in UK jailed for sending unsolicited nude photos
#Manchester #City #star #Robinho #jailed #years #gang #rape #Brazil
