BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Former Barcelona and Brazil defender Dani Alves was formally indicted on Wednesday on charges of sexual assault of a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December, and his lawyer said the player would not slow the process down by appealing against the indictment.
The judge said she had found evidence of wrongdoing by the 40-year-old player, who says he had consensual sex with his accuser.
Alves was arrested on Jan. 20 and has been held in a prison outside Barcelona without bail. If found guilty he could face a prison sentence of four to 15 years.
“Dani Alves is upset with the narrative of the facts … he disagrees with it,” Alves’ lawyer Cristobal Martell told reporters minutes after his client appeared before the Barcelona court.
“He has also said that he will not appeal due to his desire to expedite the judicial process,” Martell added.
The prosecution must now submit formal charges to the court, while the defence will present its allegations in writing. After that, a date for the start of a trial will be set.
Reporting by Horaci Garcia and Fernando Kallas; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Hugh Lawson
