Dani Alves Acquitted of Sexual Assault Charges

The Appeals Court of the High Court of Justice in Catalonia unanimously decided to overturn the sentence against Brazilian star Dani Alves, former Barcelona player, who had been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexually assaulting a young woman inside a nightclub in December 2022.

This decision came after the acceptance of Alves' defense appeal, while the court rejected the appeals submitted by the public prosecutor, who sought to increase the sentence to nine years, as well as the private prosecutor who requested an increase to 12 years.

The court clarified in the ruling issued on Friday that the acquittal was due to insufficient evidence and the lack of reliability in the complainant's testimony, leading to the cancellation of all precautionary measures imposed on the player.

The case began in December 2022 when a 23-year-old woman filed a complaint accusing Alves of sexually assaulting her inside a private bathroom at Sutton nightclub in Barcelona.

During the investigations, Alves changed his account several times before admitting to having a relationship with the complainant, but insisted that it was consensual.

The court heard the victim behind closed doors while taking measures to protect her identity, and her friend and cousin also testified, confirming that Alves acted arrogantly, and they noted that the victim exited the bathroom in tears and was hesitant to file a report for fear of not being believed.

With the court's final decision, the case is now closed, allowing Alves to regain his freedom after a period of legal and media controversy surrounding the case.