The public prosecutor has challenged the Barcelona Court of Appeal’s decision to grant provisional freedom to Brazilian footballer Dani Alves upon payment of a one‑million euro bail. Alves has not yet been able to lodge the amount, despite two days of efforts, and will therefore spend the weekend in detention as the legal process continues to unfold.
Authorities contend that the risk of flight remains a central concern. This is the same argument that has sustained Alves’s detention for more than a decade, and, according to the prosecutors, it is intensified by the fact that he has previously been convicted for sexual assault, resulting in a prison sentence of four years and six months.
In this context, the Public Prosecutor’s Office underscored that the appeal options raised by the accusers point to a potential prison term extending up to twelve years if the appellate process carries through against the defendant. As a result, the prosecution argued that the provisional custody should be extended through a significant portion of the relevant sentence, specifically two years and three months, reflecting the gravity of the case as interpreted in sentencing norms.
“There is a high risk of flight that cannot be mitigated by the alternative measures set by the Barcelona Court of Appeal,” the filing noted, taking into account Alves’s lack of ties to Spain and his stronger connections to Brazil, a country that does not extradite nationals convicted of sexual assault. The document also highlighted Alves’s substantial financial resources and the influence of his social circle, which together would undermine any bail conditions intended to balance public safety with the presumption of innocence.