Golden ball or not, the Paraguayan justice will not grant preferential treatment to Ronaldinho. Imprisoned for a week, the former Brazilian soccer star saw his appeal dismissed on Friday. The former player and his brother are the subject of an investigation in Paraguay for the use of a false passport.
"There is no change in the risk of absconding and obstruction of the investigation, which justifies the preventive measure to keep the Assis Moreira brothers in detention", according to the decision of the three judges called to rule.
Suspicions of money laundering
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, known as 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. They had arrived two days earlier in Asunción to promote a book and participate in various charitable events. The two men showed their passports to the immigration police, who did not immediately find any discrepancies. Paraguayan police then searched the hotel where the two men were staying. Investigators have discovered false Paraguayan passports made in Asunción a few months ago, according to Interior Minister Euclides Acevedo.
According to judge Gustavo Amarilla, in charge of the file, 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 at the end of 2018, following his condemnation to a fine of 2.5 million dollars (approximately 2.25 million euros) for having built a pier without authorization on 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 reals (1.1 million euros).
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