Court Upholds Robinho's Rape Conviction: Must Serve Sentence in Brazil

Brazilian judges have decided to uphold Robinho's rape conviction and confirmed that he must serve his nine-year prison sentence in Brazil. The trial took place in Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ), the highest court in the country for non-constitutional matters. The majority of the judges agreed that Italy's decision regarding the case was valid in Brazil. In 2017, a Milan court found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of gang raping a woman in 2013 after giving her alcohol in a discotheque.

The conviction was confirmed by an appeals court in 2020 and validated by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2022.

Dani Alves played for Barcelona and Brazil during his career.

Dani Alves played for Barcelona and Brazil during his career.

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Robinho, a 40-year-old man also known as Robson de Souza, resides in Brazil and has consistently denied the allegations against him.

Last year, Italy made a request for Robinho to serve his prison sentence in Brazil, as it is uncommon for Brazil to extradite its citizens.

Robinho's attorney, Jose Eduardo Alckmin, mentioned that Robinho would surrender to authorities once officially notified about the decision after the trial. The Brazilian court did not revisit discussions about the rape conviction, instead, they solely focused on determining the validity of the sentence in Italy within the Brazilian legal system.

Robinho expressed his hope in an interview aired on a local TV station on Sunday that the court would consider the merit of the Italian case. He stated, "I was unfairly convicted in Italy for something that did not happen."

Editor's P/S:

The conviction