The lawyer representing former Barcelona defender Dani Alves has revealed that the footballer is broke as his trail for raping a 23-year-old woman in a Barcelona nightclub begins.
Alves’ lawyer claimed that her client had a bank balance of negative €20k, and legal embargo on €50k worth of assets, although Marca reported that his fortune amounts to around €55m.
The defense counsel also claimed that the former Brazilian international had not had the right to a fair and equal trial. Firstly, that claim was based on the fact that Alves did not have his blood tested for alcohol and other drugs, which could have been regarded as an extenuating circumstance and potentially reduced a sentence.
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The trail of the soccer star who was driven to court in a police van from Brian 2 Prison near the Catalan capital, where he has been held on remand for over a year, commenced this morning.
State prosecutors have said they wanted him jailed for nine years if convicted of raping a 23-year-old woman in a toilet at Barcelona’s upmarket Sutton nightclub on December 30, 2022.
A lawyer acting for Alves’ female accuser, who is prosecuting the father-of-two on her behalf, has called for him to face the maximum 12-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.
Both prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of €150,000 (£128,000).
