Former Barcelona and Brazil Defender Dani Alves has once more been denied bail as part of the ongoing investigation into a sexual assault claim.
The 40-year-old was detained in January 2023 in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a lady on December 30, 2022, in a nightclub in Barcelona.
Alves contract with Mexican team Pumas UNAM was canceled as a result of the charge, and he was held without bond.
The Brazilian’s defense repeatedly asked the Barcelona court to release him on bond while the inquiry was ongoing, but the judge consistently rejected their demands.
The most recent of these refusals occurred last month, with one occurring as early as February.
The decision to keep Alves in jail was made once more on Monday following a review of video evidence presented by the defense that purportedly showed him flirting with the complainant.
However, the court rejected this evidence, saying that flirtation should “in no way justify an eventual sexual assault.”
Despite the defense’s willingness to surrender Alves’ passports and consent to a tracking device, he is still being held in detention and has apparently been classified as a flight risk.
The judge rejected his claims that he and his family intended to settle in Barcelona after learning that his children had just recently been registered as local citizens.
Alves maintains his innocence and maintains that the sex he had with the woman in question was consensual. There is currently no scheduled trial date.