Ex-Brazil Star Robinho Arrested, To Start 9-Year Prison Sentence Over Rape

Brazilian federal police arrested former football player Robinho on Thursday to serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape following a recent court ruling allowing for the transfer of the sentence from Italy. The police stated that Robinho would undergo a medical examination and_ a custody hearing before being taken to prison.

In 2017, a Milan court found Robinho and_ five other Brazilians guilty of gang-raping a 22-year-old Albanian woman after intoxicating her in a nightclub in 2013. The conviction was upheld by an appeals court in 2020 and_ later confirmed by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2022.

The top court in Brazil for non-constitutional matters upheld Robinho’s rape conviction on Wednesday, mandating that he serve his nine-year prison term in Brazil.

The Brazilian court refrained from revisiting the discussions regarding the rape conviction, focusing solely on the validity of the Italian sentence in Brazil.

Moment police arrested Robinho

Robinho, also known as Robson de Souza currently resides in his home country of Brazil and_ has consistently maintained his innocence regarding the charges. Having previously played for esteemed clubs such as Santos, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and_ AC Milan, as well as representing Brazil’s national team, Robinho has had a successful football career. With few exceptions, Brazil typically does not extradite its citizens. Therefore, Italy requested last year that Robinho serve his prison sentence in Brazil.

Following the rejection of an appeal by Robinho’s legal team on Thursday, Judge Luiz Fux upheld the order for his immediate arrest, leading to his apprehension.

In his decision, Fux stated that he found no breaches of constitutional, legal regulations, or international agreements in the ruling issued on Wednesday by a different court. During an interview aired by a local TV station on Sunday, Robinho expressed his belief, stating, “I was unfairly convicted in Italy for something that did not occur.”