The former footballer Dani Alves will continue sleeping, in the coming days, in his cell at the Brians 2 prison, in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, where he has been held for 13 months.
The sentence handed down this Thursday by the Barcelona Court, which sentenced him to four and a half years in prison for the rape of a young woman in the Sutton nightclub, has confirmed that for now he must remain in provisional prison.
But he specifies that, once his defense files an appeal against the resolution - something he will certainly do - he will re-examine whether to release him provisionally pending the final sentence or keep him as a preventive prisoner.
In the worst scenario for Alves and according to the law, his situation as a preventive cannot be extended for more than another 14 months.
Alves' status as a preventive prisoner has, for him, some disadvantages.
He cannot benefit, for example, from the rules that the penitentiary regulations establish for convicts, that is, prisoners who are serving their sentences with a final sentence.
Article 154 establishes that prisoners who have served a quarter of their sentence can enjoy exit permits, as long as they show good behavior and have a favorable report from the technicians.
If the sentence imposed is taken into account, Alves – who has served a year and a month in prison – could begin to request these releases in a matter of weeks, but he will not be able to do so due to his status as a preventive prisoner.
Waiting for the resource
In the coming days, Alves' defense will surely present an appeal against the ruling of the Barcelona Court before the Civil and Criminal chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC).
The sentence announced this Thursday already contemplates that, once this appeal is presented, “his personal situation will be assessed again,” as established by the procedural law.
If the TSJC ratifies the sentence, Alves will still have one last option: an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Although cases involving prisoners, like this one, tend to progress more quickly than others, all these appeals and resolutions from different instances can delay a final sentence and, although it may seem paradoxical, they can bring the player closer to provisional freedom.
La norma establece que un preso preventivo no puede estar en esa situación más de la mitad del tiempo que marca la condena que se le impuso en primera instancia, en este caso de la Audiencia de Barcelona. Con una sentencia por agresión sexual de cuatro años y medio, Alves podría seguir como preventivo, a lo sumo, dos años y tres meses. Como ya lleva 13 meses entre rejas, la conclusión es que solo puede permanecer (en el peor de los escenarios para él) otros 14 meses en esa misma situación. Después, y siempre y cuando no se haya dictado aún una sentencia firme, el tribunal se vería obligado a dejarle en libertad provisional.
Lo más probable, sin embargo, es que Alves quede mucho antes en libertad provisional. El tribunal debe valorar que, con el tiempo que le resta de preso preventivo (14 meses), lo más probable es que no se hayan resuelto todos los recursos y no se cuente, aún, con una sentencia firme. Si permaneciera preso preventivo todo ese tiempo, razonan fuentes penitenciarias, al final Alves habrá estado en una situación mucho más desfavorable que un reo con sentencia firme: habrá pasado dos años y tres meses sin poder obtener ningún tipo de salida ni otros beneficios penitenciarios que sí podría haber alcanzado como penado.
Suscríbete para seguir leyendo
Lee sin límites
Seguir leyendo
Ya soy suscriptor
_