Former soccer player Robinho arrested in Brazil to serve prison sentence for group rape in Italy
On Thursday, the Brazilian Police arrested former soccer player Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, in one of his residences on the coast of São Paulo. The arrest was made in order for Robinho to begin serving the nine-year prison sentence imposed on him for a group rape in Italy.
Federal Police agents apprehended the ex-striker at his home in Santos, his training city, and transferred him to the police station after the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil confirmed the sentence from the Italian Justice and ordered his admission to prison.
According to a statement from the Federal Police, Robinho, age 40, will undergo mandatory medical examinations at the Legal Medical Institute before being sent to the prison system. Despite not disclosing the specific prison, authorities have stated that he will serve the sentence in a closed regime.
The prison order was issued by the Federal Justice in São Paulo after Judge Luis Fux of the Supreme Court rejected a habeas corpus request made by Robinho, who formerly played for Real Madrid, Milan, and Manchester City.
In 2017, Robinho was convicted in Italy for the group rape of a young Albanian woman in Milan back in 2013. Despite living freely in Brazil due to the country’s prohibition on extraditing its nationals, the Superior Court of Justice ordered his immediate imprisonment in Brazil after deciding that he must serve the sentence there.
During a recent session, Robinho’s lawyer argued against the extradition, citing alleged due process violations in Italy and claiming that Brazilian law allowing the homologation of foreign sentences was passed after the crime was committed. However, the investigating judge, Francisco Falcao, rejected these arguments and stated that it was the Brazilian Justice’s responsibility to review the requirements for Italy’s request for Robinho to serve his sentence in Brazil, rather than revising the Italian court’s decision.