Former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho released from house arrest in Paraguay
- The former Barcelona and Brazil hero has been released from house arrest in Paraguay
- Ronaldinho and his brother have been serving time after trying to enter the country with forged passports
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Ronaldinho released from house arrest in Paraguay.
The World Cup 2002 winner was released Monday by a Paraguayan judge after five months in detention over a forged passport.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho’s brother Roberto, who also had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital, Asuncion, for the same charge.
The two are also expected to pay $90,000 (for Ronadinho) and $110,000 for his brother.
The pair are also expected to appear before a judge in Brazil every three months – Ronaldinho for a year and his brother for two.
Prosecutors did not believe Ronaldinho took part in the plan to manufacture the fake Paraguayan passports but believed de Assis Moreira was aware that the passports were false.
The brothers arrived in Paraguay on March 4 without any issues, with Ronaldinho, the 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, due to take part in an event in support of disadvantaged children.
However, two days later, the pair were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following the discovery they had fake documents.
After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where Ronaldinho celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men had been under house arrest for more than four months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was crucial in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win.
He played for European giants such as Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain during a hugely successful 10-year stint in Europe.
