Dani Alves case: what is he accused of, what complaints are there against him and what could happen

(CNN Spanish) — Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves, who was once a star of FC Barcelona and who had arrived in Mexican soccer a few months ago, is currently in provisional prison near the city of Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Alves has been in prison since Friday, January 20.

Next, we give you all the details of the case.

Complaint and investigation against Dani Alves

On January 10, the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia confirmed that Dani Alves was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault at a Barcelona nightclub in December.

The sexual assault complaint was filed by a woman, the court said in a statement.

“The Court of Instruction number 15 of Barcelona has opened proceedings for an alleged crime of sexual assault for a complaint filed by a woman against a footballer for events that allegedly occurred in a Barcelona nightclub last December,” the statement read. .

Although the player’s name was not expressly mentioned, a court spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the allegations pertain to Alves.

In a video sent to the Spanish channel Antena 3, Alves said he was at the nightclub, but denied the accusations.

“I want to deny everything, first. I was there, in that place, I was there with more people, having a good time,” she said. “I’m very sorry, but I don’t know who this lady is,” she added.

What is Dani Alves accused of?

On January 20, Alves, who was in Barcelona at the time, was detained by the Catalan regional police, the police press office told CNN. He spoke to officers at a Barcelona police station and was then taken in a police vehicle to the courthouse on the other side of the city.

He remained in police custody and hours later he was brought before the courts. Then, a Spanish judge ordered provisional detention without the right to bail to the Brazilian player who is accused of sexual assault.

“The examining magistrate number 15 of Barcelona has received today, as a detainee, the footballer Dani Alves, charged by a woman for an alleged sexual assault, in events that allegedly occurred in a Barcelona nightclub last December,” he said. the press office of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia in a statement.

“The magistrate has ordered provisional detention without the right to bail, for the ongoing case for a crime of sexual assault,” the statement added.

What is known about the victim of alleged sexual assault?

On the same Friday, January 20, before the player was sentenced to provisional detention, the woman who made the complaint, her legal defense and a witness testified against Alves.

The content of the woman’s testimony was not made public; however, CNN had the opportunity to speak with her lawyer, Ester García, who highlighted two points:

• He indicated that the victim was calm because the judge gave credibility to his testimony, which he said was demonstrated by the pretrial detention without bail against the soccer player.
• But he also commented that the victim is concerned, because, after the alleged sexual assault, he is under pharmacological and psychological treatment.

What did Alves say?

When it became known that he was being investigated for an alleged sexual assault, Alves sent the previously mentioned video, in which he denied the accusations and denied knowing the victim.

CNN contacted Cristóbal Martell, a lawyer representing the player, on Tuesday and Wednesday to obtain a position. However, from his office they have told us that they will not make any type of statement to the media.

At the beginning of this month, a spokesman for Alves told Reuters that the player “vehemently denies” all the accusations.

Alves – whose club also announced the termination of his contract – is currently being held at the Brians 2 prison near Barcelona.where he was relocated this Monday after spending the first few days at Brians 1. He was relocated for security and coexistence reasons given the notoriety of the accused, since the Brians 2 center has less population than Brians 1.

Specifically, Alves is in module 13 of the Brians 2 prison, which is intended for prisoners for crimes against sexual freedom.

How many years could he be in prison?

Alves was sentenced to provisional detention without bail mainly for two reasons, according to a spokesman for the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia told CNN: due to the risk of flight that exists, since the player does not have domiciliary roots in Barcelona and could travel to Brazil, from where he could not be brought back because there is no extradition treaty with that country; and by the seriousness of the crime of which he is accused.

The crime of sexual assault with carnal access – the case indicates that he will be tried for that – can carry a penalty of between 4 and 12 years in prison. Therefore, if found guilty, that is the time that Dani Alves could be in jail.

So far, the case is in its initial phase, where more evidence and documents are being collected. Once this step is completed, a formal oral trial could proceed.

CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Uriel Blanco, Matt Foster, Alex Hardie, Al Goodman and Jorge Engels contributed to this article.