The Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho and his brother will have to remain in prison without the possibility of bail while their case continues to be reviewed after the pair used counterfeit passports to enter Paraguay, a court has ruled.
The ruling on Tuesday morning by the Paraguayan court comes a day after Ronaldinho offered to post an $800,000 bail bond by putting up a local businessman’s property as collateral in exchange for being moved from a maximum security jail to house arrest.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla based his decision on missing legal documents on the property, located on 27 acres of land south of the capital, Asunción.
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Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis were caught with fake Paraguayan ID cards as well as fake passports
The magistrate backed the prosecution’s argument that the 39-year-old footballer and Roberto Assis would be a flight risk if they were allowed to wait out the legal process outside of prison.
‘That is one of my [legal] reasons, the requirement that he is present in the country and to continue the investigations with him being present,’ Amarilla said.
Amarilla also supported the prosecution’s argument that the 2002 World Cup champion would be an incentive for them to flee and not face any repercussions because Brazil would not extradite its citizens to face trial in Paraguay.
The judge found the bail bond value to be relatively low, considering Ronaldinho earned at least $130 million during his career.
The Brazilian soccer legend had his house arrest petition rejected by a Paraguayan court on Tuesday because he was missing legal documents tied to a home he offered to put up as collateral for a $800,000 bail bond after he and his brother were arrested last week
Paraguayan judge Gustavo Amarilla speaks with the press on Tuesday – moments after he ratified the prosecution’s stance to deny bail to Brazilian retired football player Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis
In custody: This picture published by Paraguayan media shows 2002 World Cup winner Ronaldinho smiling in his jail cell in Asuncion
Authorities also announced on Tuesday the arrest of three government officials connected to the scandal.
Shirley Elizabeth Delvalle 31, and Rosa Carolina Miranda, 40, both employed by Paraguay’s National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, and José Gustavo Molina, 47, a clerk with the General Directorate of Migrations, were arrested on Tuesday morning.
Law enforcement agents were looking for another immigration official connected to the scheme, Jorge Rodrigo Villanueva Torales, 35.
Authorities have charged María Isabel Gayoso and Esperanza Apolonia Caballero, for reportedly providing their passports to be altered.
Ronaldinho traveled from Brazil to Paraguay last Wednesday to attend the unveiling of his book Genius of Life and to participate in the launch of a non-governmental organization introduced by local businesswoman Dalia López, who allegedly played a role in obtaining the altered passports.
Brazilian businessman Wismondes Sousa Lira, who is also being held, said in court on Monday that López provided handed him the passports, which he turned over to Ronaldinho and his brother in Brazil.
Ronaldinho, wearing handcuffs which he covered up with a pink blanket, and his brother Roberto Assis (in the blue shirt) are led into court in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Saturday. They are being investigated for utilizing fake passports and identification cards to enter Paraguay last Wednesday to participate in the soccer star’s book launch and local children’s charity event
Ronaldinho’s lawyer previously said the Brazilian star was ‘stupid’ rather than guilty as his client posed for a picture in a Paraguayan prison following his arrest for using a fake passport.
Lawyer Adolfo Marin told Brazilian media that Ronaldinho ‘did not understand’ he was using false documents when he traveled to Paraguay last week.
A picture published by Paraguayan media showed the former AC Milan, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star smiling in a purple vest and a pair of slippers in his cell.
Prosecutors alleged that there are ‘indications that other crimes were committed’ were committed by Ronaldinho and Assis, who is also his business manager.
Sergio Queiroz, another lawyer for Ronaldinho and his bother, refused to comment on a prosecutor’s claims that the investigation had been expanded.
Prosecutor Osmar Legal had told Brazilian outlet Globoesporte that there were ‘indications that other crimes were committed’.
‘The case as it was presented is clear,’ Queiroz said. ‘There is no other point being investigated, you can see that there in the documents.’
He called the brothers’ detention ‘arbitrary, abusive and illegal’.
‘They confessed that they used these false passports,’ Queiroz told reporters. ‘But there was no harm done to the Paraguayan state.
‘Roberto and Ronaldinho did not know that the passports were irregular. And they cooperated fully with authorities.’
The former Barcelona and AC Milan star Ronaldinho leaves Paraguay’s Supreme Court in Asuncion after a court appearance on Saturday
Ronaldinho arrives at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport near Asuncion last week, before Paraguayan officials noticed he was using a fake passport
Ronaldinho and his brother showed their passports to immigration police, who did not immediately notice any problem with the documents.
He was greeted at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asuncion by throngs of fans.
Hours later, when the passports were determined to be fake, investigators raided the room Ronaldinho was staying in and seized the brothers’ identity cards and travel documents.
‘Ronaldinho did not commit a crime because he did not know that the passport they gave him was faked,’ Queiroz said.
Queiroz claimed prosecutors had agreed that the footballer had acted in good faith and that the initial decision by a judge to order their detention was unwarranted.
Ronaldinho said the passports had been given him by people who had invited him to attend conferences sponsored by charities working with disadvantaged children.
The brothers have been in custody since Friday after they appeared in court and were accused of trying to enter Paraguay using the doctored travel documents.
Ronaldinho in his heyday, playing for Barcelona in the Spanish top division in 2006
Under Paraguayan law, officials have six months to complete their inquiry.
They were given soap, pillows and mosquito repellent and were led into court in handcuffs, although Ronaldinho was allowed to cover them with a blanket.
Although he last played professionally in 2015, Ronaldinho is still hugely popular with football fans for his skills and showmanship.
He was a cornerstone of Brazil’s World Cup-winning side in 2002, and later won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.
He was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.