Ex-Brazil and Man City star Robinho told to serve 9 years in prison after sexual assault conviction
Robinho denies allegations, insisting encounter was consensual
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A Brazilian high court decided that Robinho, a former football star, must serve his nine-year sentence in Brazil for a sexual assault conviction in Italy in 2017.
Robinho received a nine-year prison sentence in Italy for his involvement in a group sexual assault incident in 2013 during his tenure with AC Milan. Due to Brazil’s policy against extraditing its citizens, Italy requested that he serve his sentence within Brazil.
The decision by Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice on Wednesday was made with a 9-2 vote to uphold the Italian court’s ruling.
Robinho, 40, who has the option to appeal to Brazil’s Supreme Court, denies the allegations, insisting the encounter was consensual. He has surrendered his passport to Brazilian authorities and currently resides in Santos, near Sao Paulo.
At the outset of Wednesday’s hearing, Robinho’s attorney Jose Eduardo Alckmin told the court that his client sought a retrial in Brazil on the grounds of national sovereignty. The first judge to cast a vote, Francisco Falco, asserted that Robinho’s sentence should be served in Brazil, emphasising that the former football player must face consequences for his actions.
Mr Falco also mentioned the potential for diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Italy if the sentence goes unfulfilled.
“There’s no obstacle to validate the execution of his sentence. It was confirmed by a court in Milan, which is the competent authority in this case,” Mr Falco said. “The conviction is final. The defendant was not put on trial in absence in Italy, he had representation.”
According to Goal, Robinho recently claimed his nine-year prison sentence is a result of racism in Italy.
He reportedly told Record TV: “I was convicted in Italy unjustly for something that did not happen and I have all the evidence to show that. I played four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories of racism. Unfortunately, it happens today. That happened in 2013 and today we are in 2024, which leads me to believe that the same people who do nothing against racism are the same ones who they condemned at my trial.
“If my trial were for a white person, it would be totally different, without a doubt,” he added.
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