Lawyers for former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho, suspected of using a false passport, have appealed against his continued detention in Paraguay, AFP learned on Thursday from judicial sources. The appeal will be considered on Tuesday during a hearing in a court in Asuncion, the same sources said.
Tuesday, the judge in charge of the file, Gustavo Amarilla, had decided to keep in detention the 2002 world champion suspected of using a false passport. Ronaldinho, 39, has been in pre-trial detention for six days in a police station in the capital.
Ronaldinho and his brother detained in Paraguay https://t.co/F0VYz93pgc
- 20 Minutes (@ 20Minutes) March 10, 2020"I recognize that (this case) may deserve a less restrictive measure (than detention). But it is my responsibility not to disturb the investigation by the prosecution. And that could be the case with a possible leak, "said the magistrate.
Ronaldinho was arrested on March 6 with his brother Roberto. Both are accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports and have been placed in pre-trial detention. The former PSG player and his brother had arrived two days earlier in Asuncion to promote a book and take part in various charitable operations.
In Paraguay for "a criminal association or money laundering"?
According to Judge Amarilla, the investigation seeks to "know the real reasons for their presence" in Paraguay. "There could be other things, like a criminal association or money laundering," he said.
Ronaldinho had been deprived of his passport by the Brazilian justice system at the end of 2018, after being fined $ 2.5 million for having built an unauthorized pier at the edge of a lake in a protected area of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. He finally recovered it in 2019 after an agreement with the justice system, in return for a payment of 6 million reais (1.1 million euros).
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