Los Angeles (AFP)

The US court has decided, for lack of evidence, not to charge for rape the Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, announced Monday the prosecutor in charge of the case.

A former American model, Kathryn Mayorga, 35, accused the five-time Golden Ball of having raped her in 2009 in a hotel room in Las Vegas.

"Based on the information available," these "charges can not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt," according to a statement from Clark County Attorney in Nevada.

The former star of Manchester United and Real Madrid, 34, who currently plays Juventus Turin, has always denied these allegations, claiming to have had a relationship "completely agreed" with the young model.

Kathryn Mayorga's lawyers have not responded to AFP's requests to comment on the decision, which puts an end to prosecutions.

The player did not react either.

On June 13, 2009, the complainant called the Las Vegas police to report a rape but refused to identify her attacker. The file was then closed.

The Clark County Attorney notes that at the time of the alleged facts, the police were unable to investigate evidence, as the young woman chose to silence the identity of her abuser and the location of the aggression.

Video images of events before and after the event had also been lost.

In 2010, Kathryn Mayorga had a civil agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo on this subject.

In August 2018, she had re-contacted the Las Vegas police requesting the reopening of her file and had accused the footballer for the first time.

- DNA samples -

"Despite the fact that nine years have passed, the police investigated his allegations", but these could not be proven. "As a result, no prosecution will be initiated," wrote the prosecutor.

The striker had assured last October to be "an example" on and off the field.

"In this situation, I'm not going to lie, my lawyers are confident and of course me too (...) Of course, the truth always comes first, so I'm fine," he added.

The judicial process has dragged on since the filing of the complaint last September. Mayorga's US lawyers have had a hard time handing Cristiano Ronaldo his summons to appear in a Las Vegas court, as Nevada law requires.

The lawyers then decided to file a complaint at the federal level.

According to court documents consulted by AFP, they finally managed on March 22 to locate it.

Proceedings in accordance with European procedures in this area have been initiated with the Italian authorities to assign Cristiano Ronaldo, according to these documents.

Last January, the Las Vegas police sent a request to the Italian authorities to obtain a DNA sample from Cristiano Ronaldo, a usual measure in such a case. It is unclear if the player has agreed to submit to this exam.

In March, Juventus Turin said its summer tour would take place this year in Asia, and not in the United States as in recent seasons.

© 2019 AFP