Lawyer says Dani Alves is broken as alleged rape trial begins for former Barcelona and Brazil defender
Former defender of Barcelona, Seville and Brazil Dani Alves sat in court today as the first day of his trial began. The 40-year-old man is accused of rape, and has spent the last year in prison awaiting his day in court, in custody as a potential flight risk.
As reported by MD, Alves will testify last in the case with 28 witnesses, including his wife Joana Sanz, who separated from him after the scandal. Alves' lawyer said his client had a negative bank balance of €20,000, and a legal embargo on €50,000 of assets Brand report that his fortune amounts to about 55 million euros.
🔴 The most notable sentences of the defense of Alves and the lawyer of the victim
🗨️ “Alves has a negative balance of 20 euros”
🗨️ “My client did not have a process with all the requirements”
🗨️ “It seems the defense wants privilege for the accused” pic.twitter.com/xuQXmuGSRL— MARCA (@marca) February 5, 2024
The defense also said Alves was not entitled to a fair and equal trial. First, this claim was based on the fact that Alves did not have his blood tested for alcohol and other drugs, which could be considered as a mitigating circumstance and potentially reducing a sentence.
Second, the defense claimed that the public trial through the media had been unfair and unequal, making Alves to be an aggressive violator without reporting all the facts. It was also claimed that Alves gave only two testimonies regarding the events of the night of the incident, instead of the five publicly reported. The prosecution reduced the claims that Alves had money problems, and defended that the only public figure involved was Alves, who had all the same rights as any other person. In any case, the judge rejected the request to delay the trial and to dismiss.
If Alves is convicted of rape, then he will face a sentence of between 9 and 12 years, and will also be required to pay compensation of 150 thousand euros to the victim.
