A Barcelona court on Wednesday rejected an appeal to overturn bail that was granted to former Brazil footballer Dani Alves.
He was released from prison on March 25 after making the €1 million ($1.08m) bail payment required as he awaits the result of an appeal to his rape conviction.
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Alves, 40, had been kept in a prison in Barcelona since January 2023.
The former Barcelona star was sentenced to 4½ years in prison on Feb. 22 after Catalonia’s top court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.
Spain’s state Prosecutors’ Office in Barcelona and the victim appealed against the sentence while they also asked the court to overturn bail, saying they believed the risk of Alves fleeing increased after he was found guilty.
However, the court dismissed appeals filed by the Prosecutor’s Office and the victim opposing bail.
In addition to posting bail, Alves, who handed over his Brazilian and Spanish passports, has to report to a Barcelona court on a weekly basis.
He is prohibited from leaving the country.
Alves’ lawyers are seeking his acquittal while prosecutors want his prison sentence increased to nine years.
The victim’s lawyer wants him jailed for 12 years.
No date has been set for the appeal trial.