The investigation that led to the arrest of former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho entered a new stage this week, as investigators focus on allegations of money laundering related to the businesswoman who invited him to visit Paraguay.
Investigators will begin reviewing files and messages on the phones of Ronaldinho, the former Barcelona and Milan player, and his brother and business agent Roberto Assis.
Osmar Legal, the chief inspector of the case, told Reuters that he was investigating the relationship between the two brothers and Dalia Lopez, the businesswoman who arranged their visit and met them at Asuncion Airport before their arrest.
"You might be involved in money laundering, and that means we have to investigate all the people involved in the crime, including Ronaldinho, and that's why we insist on keeping him in prison," Legal said.
The first photo taken of Brazilian star Ronaldinho in prison (communication sites) |
Ronaldinho - who played a prominent role in the coronation of Brazil in the 2002 World Cup and represented the Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain teams - was arrested on the sixth of this March, accompanied by his brother, for trying to enter Paraguay with a false passport even though the Brazilian citizens do not need passports to enter the neighboring country.
They continued to be held since then, and a judge refused to release them on bail, fearing escape.
Reuters was unable to reach Lopez's lawyer - who runs a charity that Ronaldinho was visiting as part of his flight program in Paraguay - and law enforcement forces are pursuing her on suspicion of involvement in organized crime and document forgery, while the player's lawyer said his arrest was "illegal and authoritarian".