SAO PAULO — A majority of judges in a Brazilian high court on Wednesday ruled that former soccer star Robinho must serve his nine-year prison sentence in his home country after he was convicted of rape seven years ago.
Robinho, 40, was convicted of rape in Italy in 2017, ESPN reported.
By a 9-2 decision, the judges in Brazil’s Superior Court ruled to uphold the conviction for the former AC Milan, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker, according to the sports news outlet. There are 15 judges involved in the case, and they can still change their decision.
🚨The Superior Court of Justice has ordered that Robinho serve his sentence for rape in Brazil. pic.twitter.com/5Y6WYL9hkc
— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) March 20, 2024
Robinho was sentenced for his part in a group sexual assault in 2013 when he was a member of AC Milan, The Associated Press reported. The former soccer player has maintained his innocence, claiming his sexual relations with a woman at a bar in Milan, Italy, were consensual, according to the news organization.
Brazil does not extradite nationals, leading Italian authorities to seek his imprisonment in his home country, according to ESPN.
The trial is still underway, the sports news outlet reported.
Robinho’s lawyer, José Eduardo Alckmin, told the court Wednesday that his client wants a retrial in Brazil on the grounds of national sovereignty, according to the AP.
“There’s no obstacle to validate the execution of his sentence. It was confirmed by a court in Milan, which is the competent authority in this case,” the first judge to vote, Francisco Falcão, said Wednesday. “The conviction is final. The defendant was not put on trial in absence in Italy, he had representation.”
Robinho, a former Brazil international, can appeal the decision to the country’s Supreme Court, ESPN reported. He relinquished his passport to Brazilian authorities in March 2023.
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