Robinho's freedom in Brazil may be under threat. If until now the chances of him serving the nine years in prison for gang rape for which he was convicted in Italy seemed remote, given that the player lives in Brazil and the country does not extradite its citizens, a recent decision by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice opened a loophole that could result in detention for the former attacker.
Like Robinho, Uruguayan-Brazilian colonel Pedro Antonio Mato Narbondo was ultimately sentenced by Italian justice to life in prison in July 2021. At the end of January, Italy sent an extradition request to Brazil. The response sent by Itamaraty to the Italian government arrived on February 17th through diplomatic channels.
The order states that “according to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, it will not be possible to proceed with the request due to the prohibition expressed in article 5 of the Federal Constitution of Brazil”. The document clarifies that Narbondo opted for Brazilian citizenship (inherited from his mother) in 2003, but makes it clear that “Italy can request the transfer of the execution of a sentence under the terms of law 13.445/2017”, that is, the Migration Law.
It is this detail that could land Robinho in jail. According to Italian justice sources, “this will probably also be the outcome of the Robinho case”. UOL tried to contact Robinho's lawyers on Friday night, but the calls went to voicemail. During the process, Robinho's lawyers claimed innocence. The conviction is of last resort and cannot be appealed.
Robinho and his friend Ricardo Falco were sentenced to nine years in prison in a closed regime for having gang-raped a 23-year-old girl on the night of her birthday, in January 2013. In addition to them, four other Brazilians were charged, but could not be prosecuted because they were not in Italy at the time the investigations were concluded and could not be notified. Their case is currently on hold. THE Italian justice He has already requested the inclusion of their names on the Interpol red list and the extradition request process is already underway.
