Ronaldinho, Roberto de Assis Moreira arrested
After enough investigations the Paraguayan government has found Ronaldinho guilty as charged and has been given six months’ imprisonment. The former Barcelona man was charged entering a country illegally using a fake passport with his brother. Although the former world player of the year said he and his brother was deceived with the passport which they claim was given to them by a Paraguayan citizen.
According to a Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, he said Dinho was cheated and the court has failed to see that. He said: “The courts have not taken into account the fact that Ronaldinho didn’t know he was committing a crime, because he didn’t understand he had been given false documents. He is stupid.”
The case was earlier resolved after they were taken to court on Saturday after their arrest. They finalized after an appeal against a judge’s decision to remand him in prison on Saturday while an investigation into his use of the doctored passport continues.
Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto were taken to court after they were arrested at their lodging place which was the Sheraton Hotel in Asuncion. They have been warned they face up to six months behind bars while the criminal probe continues.
Their arrests took another direction as the prosecutors who initially indicated they were happy for the Brazilian pair to escape trial and receive a fine was charged for another offence again. A new case was pushed against him but of his lawyers who formed part of his defence team has branded the decision to remand the former footballer “illegal and abusive” and said he has got Brazilian diplomats involved.
The Brazilian president is not calm over this as he has come out put pressure on the follow North American country to release the player. President Jair Bolsonaro who appointed Ronaldinho as the homeland’s new tourism ambassadors last year September urged the Paraguayan government to free the Brazilian.
The appointment was made despite a court ruling preventing Ronaldinho from leaving Brazil, although last week it emerged his passport had been returned to him after it was seized following his failure to pay a fine linked to the construction of an illegal fishing platform on a lake in a conservation area.
The former footballer and his brother are claiming they were tricked they said the passport was gifted to them. Mr Marin said Ronaldinho was given the Paraguayan passport as a “gift”, and he assumed it was an “honorary-type” document of no real value. He further said the player thought it official.
Ronaldinho is charged with many other cases; the popular football icon is estimated to be worth $100 million but nonetheless that hasn’t stopped him from being linked to reports of unpaid debts. In the summer of last year, he had dozens of properties taken under the control of the authorities in Brazil while also having his Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated as well.
Former teammate Lionel Messi has come out to say he will do his best to ensure his icon dose not spend the number of days stipulated for him to go to jail. Messi is willing to support the Brazilian financially as he has given four million euros (€4,000 000) already in relation to the case. We have not full report as to whether or not the will be granted bail with his brother but for now he is still in the police custody.
There are also rumors that he is already in prison but investigation as to his claims are still on going and the Paraguayan government are on it.