Daniel Alves’ defense paid R$800,000 (150,000 euros) to the Spanish Court as compensation for “mitigating compensation for damage caused”. Thus, the player may have the maximum sentence reduced if convicted of the crime of sexual assault, for which he is being investigated.
The information was confirmed to UOL by sources linked to the Barcelona court.
The deposit was made at the beginning of August by lawyer Miraida Puente, who has represented Daniel Alves since the beginning of the process.
Between February and September, the Brazilian was also represented by Cristóbal Martell, replaced at the beginning of this month by Inés Guardiola.
The Spanish Penal Code provides for the payment of compensation to repair damage caused.
The amount would be allocated to the victim after the publication of the sentence, in case of conviction.
UOL also found that there is no possibility for the prosecution to deny this transaction: the mitigating factor of repairing the damage caused is in Article 21 of the Spanish Penal Code.
The same code, in its Article 66, provides that “when there is only one mitigating circumstance, the penalty applied will be the lower half of that defined by law for the crime”.
The maximum penalty for a case of sexual violence in Spain is 12 years in prison. With the payment of this mitigating reparation, the period could be cut in half, and Daniel Alves, if convicted, could face a sentence of six years.
Even with the payment of 150 thousand euros, the Spanish Court may decide to impose a sentence of more than six years, if it deems that there are other aggravating factors in the Brazilian’s case.
In an interview with UOL at the end of January, the complainant’s lawyer, Ester Garcia Lopez, stated that her client had said that “she doesn’t want money, but prison”. In this case, even if the woman accusing Daniel Alves refuses to receive the amount, the Court must give the accused the chance to pay the compensation.
If Daniel Alves is acquitted, the compensation amount will be returned to the player.