Former Barcelona and Brazil football star Dani Alves has been granted release from prison pending an appeal against his sexual assault conviction in a Barcelona nightclub. The Spanish court has set a bail amount of €1 million for his release, along with the requirement to surrender his passports. Alves, who was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, has been in custody since January 2023.
Despite previous requests for bail being denied due to flight risk concerns, the court’s decision now allows him to await the appeal outside of prison. Alves’ defense lawyer and the state prosecutor have both appealed the conviction, with the defense seeking acquittal and the prosecutor pushing for an increased sentence of nine years.
The timing for the new trial in a higher court in Barcelona is yet to be determined, with the possibility of further appeal to the Supreme Court in Madrid.
