Ronaldinho Gaúcho and his brother returned to Brazil after being released

Paraguayan justice grants freedom to Ronaldinho and his brother

(CNN Spanish) - On a private flight, soccer star Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, known as Ronaldinho, and his brother Roberto, left Paraguayan territory to return to Brazil this Tuesday after noon. Both were released on Monday, after being detained since March in Asunción, accused of having used false Paraguayan passports when entering the country.

Dozens of fans crowded in front of the hotel to say goodbye to their idol. Ronaldinho and his brother served house arrest since April; they had previously been in prison for just over a month, as a preventive measure.

The Defense Council (CODENA) had to give a special permission to authorize the return charter flight of the former soccer star and his brother, since the borders of Paraguay have been closed since March 24. According to the roadmap provided by the government, the final destination of Ronaldinho and Roberto is Rio de Janeiro.

The Paraguayan justice opted for a procedural exit, after noting that the brothers collaborated at all times with the investigation.

Judge Gustavo Amarilla accepted the conclusions of the Prosecutor's Office, which -after the investigation- held that Ronaldinho and his brother did not act in bad faith, since they "did not know" that the documents were false when they were presented to the Paraguayan authorities upon entering the country .

As a condition for this suspension of the procedure, Ronaldinho had to acknowledge the fact and make a donation of US $ 90,000, provide a real address and, for a year, notify if his telephone number changes in case the authorities need to contact him.

For his brother Roberto, it was decided to apply a two-year sentence, but suspending his execution if he meets certain obligations. You must donate the sum of US $ 110,000 plus the same rules of conduct as your brother. He is also obliged to appear every four months for two years before the court of his jurisdiction in Brazil.

The Paraguayan Prosecutor's Office said, at the beginning of August, that it had not detected elements that proved that the former Brazilian soccer player had participated directly in the planning and obtaining of the irregular documents with which he and his brother Roberto entered the country.

The defense of the Assis Moreira brothers maintained their innocence from the beginning, arguing that the men did not know they were false documents.

On his social media, Ronaldinho thanked friends who helped him during his presence in Paraguay, including former Paraguayan soccer star Carlos “Colorado” Gamarra.

Ronaldinho's lawyers had said that their client had traveled to Paraguay to support a social assistance program for Paraguayan children with his image.

The judge clarified that the donated money will be used to buy security elements to combat covid-19 in prisons and a hospital. A portion of the donation, US $ 30,000, will go to a campaign for a social cause called “Todos por Bianca”.

Ronaldinho had already deposited US $ 1,600,000 as bail, so Judge Amarilla said that US $ 1,400,000 will be returned, discounting the amount to repair the social damage.

Ronaldinho