The Brazilian Supreme Court (STJ) has ruled that former football player Robinho must serve his nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for the crime of gang rape, for which he was convicted by the Italian justice system.
In 2017, a court in Milan found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of raping a woman in 2013.
The conviction was upheld by an appeals court in 2020 and validated by the Supreme Court of Italy in 2022.
Robinho, 40, whose full name is Robson de Souza, was already living in Brazil when he received the final sentence and has always denied the allegations.
The Brazilian constitution does not allow native citizens to be extradited, which is why Italy requested last year that Robinho serve his prison sentence in his home country.
The Brazilian judiciary did not reopen discussions on the rape conviction, focusing only on verifying whether the sentence in Italy was valid in Brazil.
The judges voted 9 to 2 to validate the conviction of the former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward.
Robinho’s lawyer, José Eduardo Alckmin, stated after the STJ ruling that Robinho would turn himself in to authorities when officially notified of the decision, but he would appeal the ruling to the Federal Supreme Court and request that the former player remain out of prison during the appeal process.
Robinho said in an interview broadcast on Sunday by a local TV station that he hopes the court will examine the merits of the Italian case.
“I was unjustly convicted in Italy for something that did not happen,” he said.
Lawyer Jacopo Gnocchi, who represented the victim, stated that he and his client were satisfied with the Brazilian court’s decision.
“We believe this is the just conclusion of a case that occurred in Italy, with guarantees for all defendants who were found guilty,” Gnocchi told the news site UOL.
“We respect and understand that the Brazilian Constitution does not allow extradition (of its own citizens), but that does not change the fact that when the sentence is final, it is fair that the penalty be applied.”
Source: ESPN and UOL