Prisoner Stays in Detention in Paraguay
Judge Gustavo Amarilla, on Friday, stated that it is prudent for Sousa Lira to remain in prison because he has no ties to the country, while the evaluation of the 18-hectare rural property that he offered as collateral for an alternative measure is ongoing, as reported by ULTIMAHORA.COM.
The defense of the Brazilian also argued health problems and the risk of COVID-19 contagion in the Asunción prison of Tacumbú, where his client is held, which was also not accepted by the judge.
In addition, it was stated that the Prosecutor's Office opposes the release of Sousa Lira, considering that there are pending proceedings in the case, in which he is charged with alleged production of counterfeit documents and criminal association.
The Brazilian was arrested on the night of March 4 in the same hotel where Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto had stayed after arriving in Asunción to promote a solidarity event organized by a foundation led by businesswoman Dalia López.
In his statement, Sousa Lira alleged that the documents were handed to him by López, who is also charged but is on the run, at the airport to be delivered to the Assis Moreira brothers.
The former star of FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Milan left Sao Paulo together with his brother and business advisor with Brazilian documentation, and in Asunción, they exhibited passports altered with their respective names.
López is indicated by the Prosecutor's Office as the alleged head of a network dedicated to "facilitating the elaboration and use of false identity documents and passports."
The incident resulted in a scandal that led to the resignation of the then Director of Immigration Alexis Penayo and the opening of a case in which the Public Ministry has charged more than twenty people, including several officials.
Since then, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and his brother have been under house arrest in a police barracks that serves as a prison, until on April 7, they were granted house arrest after paying a bail of 1.6 million dollars.
The two brothers are fulfilling this alternative measure in a hotel in downtown Asunción under police custody and with the prohibition of leaving Paraguay.