President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday (11) that former soccer player Robinho should serve his rape sentence imposed in Italy in Brazil, just days before the Brazilian courts decide on the matter.
“Robinho was already convicted in Italy and he was supposed to be serving his sentence here. Now he will be tried this month. I hope […] that he pays the price for his irresponsibility”, stated Lula.
The president considered rape an “unforgivable” crime.
“All people who commit the crime of rape must be arrested. The person needs to learn that sexual intercourse is not just the desire of one party, it is the agreement of the parties that are at stake”, said Lula.
The former Brazilian national team striker was sentenced by Italian courts to nine years in prison for participating in the gang rape of a young woman in Milan in 2013, when he was playing for Milan. The sentence was ultimately confirmed in January 2022.
However, Robinho, 40, resides in Brazil, which does not allow the extradition of its citizens.
Italy asked Brazil a little over a year ago to apply the penalty on its territory and on March 20 a court will decide on this request.
For now, the former player is prohibited from leaving the country.
Lula said that Robinho “was luckier than 99% of young Brazilians, he made a lot of money and became very famous. He didn’t need to do this to the girl,” an Albanian woman who was celebrating her 23rd birthday in a Milan nightclub.
Lula's statements come shortly after another Brazilian football player, Daniel Alves, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in Spain for raping a woman in the bathrooms of a Barcelona nightclub in late 2022. (Mail Braziliense)
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