Former FC Barcelona, Sevilla FC and Brazil defender Dani Alves appeared in court today for the first day of his trial.
The 40-year-old defender is accused of rape and has spent the last year in prison awaiting trial, in preventive detention for flight risk. As MD reports, Alves will testify last in the case with 28 witnesses, including his wife Joana Sanz, who separated from him after the scandal broke. Alves’ lawyer claimed his client had a negative bank balance of €20k, and a legal embargo on €50k in assets, although Marca reports his fortune is around €55m.
The defense also claimed that Alves did not receive a fair trial. First, this claim is based on the fact that Alves did not take a blood test for alcohol and other drugs, which could have been considered a mitigating factor and allowed to reduce the sentence.
An unfair trial?
Second, the defense claimed that the public trial via media had been unfair and unequal, portraying Alves as an aggressive rapist without reporting all the facts. It was also claimed that Alves only gave two testimonies about the events of the night of the incident, instead of the five publicly reported.
The prosecution scoffed at allegations that Alves had money problems and defended the fact that the only public figure involved was Alves, who was given all the same rights as any other person. Regardless, the judge denied the request for a postponement and a mistrial. If Alves is found guilty of rape, he faces a sentence of 9 to 12 years in prison and will have to pay compensation of 150,000 euros to the victim.
