The footballer Dani Alves, sentenced to four and a half years in prison for rape, left the Brians 2 penitentiary center in Sant Esteve Sesrovires (Baix Llobregat) yesterday afternoon where he has been for the last 430 nights. Or what is the same: the last fourteen months, after being arrested on January 20 of last year for sexual assault.
With a serious look, his gaze fixed on an indeterminate point of infinity and without being disturbed by the large presence of journalists, the one who was one of the best footballers in the world walked leisurely the distance between the prison door and the car that took him to his home in Esplugues de Llobregat. A walking tour of just 28 seconds in which Alves did not respond to the flurry of questions thrown at him by reporters and which was silenced by the screams of prison officials who took advantage of the presence of journalists to to maintain the protests for the murder of the cook from Mas d’Enric, who had her throat cut by a prisoner.
Section 21 of the Barcelona Court ordered provisional release on Wednesday with a bail of one million euros and precautionary measures. An order of freedom that had the particular vote against one of the three magistrates. A release questioned in recent days by a part of society that interpreted that the message of first-class justice for the rich was being sent.
The court understood by the majority that, after the sentence of four and a half years for rape, pending confirmation once the appeals are presented, the risk of flight remains but to a lesser degree. The third member of the court, however, interpreted that it is now, after a conviction with proven facts, that there is more danger of flight.
Among the measures to mitigate this risk of escape, the court imposed a high bail, of one million euros, in accordance with the patrimony that is understood to be available to an international football figure. In reality, raising the money was not easy for him.
From the same Wednesday that the freedom notice was announced, the lawyer Inés Guardiola captained a transversal team that was responsible for gathering the money on several fronts. They relied on the support of Neymar’s family, who eventually backed down after pressure from sponsors. Nor did they get any of the banking entities in which Alves has had capital to assign him a loan. Nor were they able to use the more than six million euros that the Tax Agency has already returned, but which are not yet available. Finally, a group of friends, among whom there could be an active footballer, contributed money until the amount was deposited into the court account on Monday at twelve noon.
At five in the afternoon, Alves left the prison with Guardiola. During the day he took advantage of the last few hours at the center to distribute the four things he had left. Basically sports pieces. He wanted to give the copy of the Bible that has accompanied him these months, a fan and a box of books to the penitentiary. Utensils that he gave to the head of prison services, in charge of managing his departure and to whom he thanked for the treatment he had received.
He then went through security and collected the personal items he had left behind on the first day he entered prison and which he could not use: a watch, his wedding ring and his mobile phone. A person he trusts will go to jail this week for four things he left behind.
From now on, every Friday you will have to go to the secretariat of section 21 of the Barcelona Court to sign. This Friday will not be necessary because it is a public holiday, just like Monday in Catalonia, and he will sign on Wednesday. He will be accompanied by Inés Guardiola, the lawyer who took charge of his defense when the trial was a few months away, after asking for a pardon from Cristobal Martell, and who, against a majority public opinion, he got a much lower sentence than the one requested by the prosecution, four and a half years.
Until the appeals are resolved and the sentence is final, a period that may last several years, Dani Alves will not be able to leave Spain. It must always be located and available on a phone number that you have already provided to the court. Nor will he be able to approach or try to communicate with the victim.
Under an intermittent rain that darkened the cold day in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Dani Alves went to his home in Esplugues de Llobregat. His lawyer has already presented an appeal of almost 200 pages in which he defends the acquittal and the lawyer of the victim with a request for twelve years in prison.
