Ronaldinho released from jail, placed under house arrest

Asuncion, April 9 (IANS): Former Brazil star forward Ronaldinho has been released from jail and placed under house arrest in Paraguay.

According to a BBC report, both Ronaldinho, 40, and his brother Roberto Assis have denied any wrongdoing.

Their lawyer called the imprisonment “arbitrary, abusive and illegal.”

In allowing the pair to leave prison, Judge Gustavo Amarilla said the size of the bail paid was “significant” and would “guarantee they will not flee”,” the report further said.

The Brazilian football great and his brother, Roberto Assis, have been held at a prison in Asuncion since March 6 for using fake passports.

The pair was relocated to a hotel in the center of Asuncion after agreeing to pay $1.6 million in bail during a court hearing. Judges had rejected three previous bail requests by the brothers.

The former FC Barcelona playmaker travelled with Assis to Paraguay on March 4 to participate in a children’s charity event and promote a new book. They were arrested later that day for entering the country with false travel documents. Ronaldinho retired from football in 2018 after a career that included spells at Gremio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Milan and Atletico Mineiro, among other clubs. He was a part of the Brazil team that won the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and was twice voted the FIFA world player of the year.