SÃO PAULO.- The Supreme Superior Court of Justice of Brazil ruled on Wednesday that the former forward Robinho He will have to serve in his native country the nine-year prison sentence he received in 2017 after being found guilty of rape in Italy.
Robinho, 40 years old, may appeal.
The judges of the STJ (the court’s acronym) voted 9-2 to ratify the conviction of the former Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan player.
Robinho was sentenced in Italy to nine years in prison for being linked to group sexual abuse in 2013 when he played with Milan.
Brazil does not extradite its citizens, so Italy requested their imprisonment in their home country.
At the beginning of the hearing on Wednesday, José Eduardo Alckmin told the court that his client wants a new trial in Brazil for reasons of national sovereignty.
The first judge to vote, Francisco Falcão, said that Robinho will have to serve his sentence in Brazil. He added that the former soccer player cannot go unpunished, and that diplomatic friction between Brazil and Italy could emerge if the sentence is not carried out.
There is no turning back for Robinho:
“There is no obstacle to validating the execution of this sentence. It was confirmed by a court in Milan, which is the competent authority in this case,” Falcão said. “The sentence is final. “The accused was not absent when being tried in Italy, he was represented.”
Robinho resides in Santos, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. He handed over his passport to Brazilian authorities in March 2023. He has pleaded not guilty and insists that his sexual relations with the woman in a Milan bar were consensual.
The player enjoyed great popularity at the time and established himself as one of the pillars of his country in Europe.
Source: AP
