Despite the efforts of his lawyers, Ronaldinho, locked up for using a false passport, was kept in detention on Tuesday morning. "The judge rejected the request for the defense of parole or house arrest" of the former Brazilian footballer, the representative of the Paraguayan public prosecutor told reporters on Tuesday.
Next to the latter, the new judge in charge of the file, Gustavo Amarilla, said he had kept Ronaldinho and his brother behind bars so that they remain "at the disposal of justice". He said that given the scale of the case and the alleged involvement of officials and business leaders who facilitated the arrival of Ronaldinho in Paraguay, the presence of the two men in Asunción was necessary for the smooth running of the investigation.
"I recognize that (this case) may deserve a less restrictive measure (than detention). But it is my responsibility not to disturb the investigation by the prosecution. And that could be the case with a possible leak "of the two accused, said the judge. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, known as Ronaldinho, was arrested on Friday March 6 with his brother Roberto. Both are accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports. Their preventive detention was confirmed on Saturday by a judge from the Paraguayan capital.
"The Brazilian government is following the case"
The 2005 Golden Ball arrived with his brother in Asunción on Wednesday to promote a book and participate in various charitable operations, including the initiative of a foundation, Fraternidad Angelical, which helps poor children. .
The two men showed their passports to the immigration police, who did not immediately notice any anomalies. Paraguayan police then searched the hotel where the two men were staying, where investigators discovered false passports made in Asunción a few months earlier.
The Brazilian press has reported that the Minister of Justice of Brazil, Sergio Moro, had contacted the Paraguayan authorities for clarification. Moro "simply called to inquire about this matter because [...] the Brazilian government is following the case," said an official with the Paraguayan Ministry of Justice.
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VIDEO. Ronaldinho: ex-PSG star spent the night in prison in Paraguay
Ronaldinho had been deprived of his passport by the Brazilian justice at the end of 2018, following his condemnation to a fine of 2.5 million dollars (approximately 2.25 million euros), which he never paid, for having built a jetty without authorization at the edge of a lake in a protected area, according to Brazilian media.
"To do business"
The defense of Ronaldihno rejects the responsibility for the organization of the trip to Paraguay on the Fraternidad Angelical foundation, whose president Dalia Lopez is the subject of an arrest warrant. "He (Ronaldinho) did not know that the passport which was given to him was a forgery, advises his lawyer Sergio Queiroz, the passports were offered by the foundation to Ronaldinho to" facilitate the possibility of doing business "in the country.
Marcos Estigarribia, Dalia Lopez's lawyer, said that his client had asked intermediaries to take steps to obtain authentic passports at the request of the two brothers who wanted to "do business in Paraguay".
The 2005 Golden Ball received several visits on Sunday, including from its lawyers, in the Asunción police building where it is detained with a deputy accused of corruption and a former president of the Paraguayan Association football, under investigation for illicit enrichment.