Brazilian football icon, Ronaldinho, has been released from a maximum-security jail in Paraguay and placed under house arrest after serving 32 days for his involvement in a fake passport scandal.
The former star, who achieved World Cup victory with Brazil in 2002, has been instructed to serve house arrest alongside his brother at the upscale Palmaroga hotel in Asuncion, reportedly after paying a £1.3million bond.
Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis were imprisoned on March 6 for entering Paraguay using forged passports.
The passports found on them were bearing the names of Ronaldinho and Roberto with Paraguayan nationality despite having their Brazilian passports confiscated in 2018 following conviction in an environment offence.
Ronaldinho shared with local authorities during a hearing that the document was a gift from a Brazilian businessman, Wilmondes Sousa Liria, who was also incarcerated.
Delivering the decision, Judge Gustavo Amarilla stated: “I decided to put them in house arrest because the investigation is now well advanced, differently from the situation one month ago.”
Ronaldinho’s lawyer, Adolfo Marin, criticized the courts for their lack of consideration for his client’s mistake, saying the former player had been ‘stupid’.
‘The courts have not taken into account the fact that Ronaldinho didn’t know he was committing a crime, because he didn’t understand he had been given false documents. He is stupid.’
If convicted, Ronaldinho, who also played for Paris Saint Germain and AC Milan, could face up to five years in prison.