Things are getting thick for former football ace Ronaldinho who was arrested alongside his brother in Paraguay for using fake passports.
According to numerous reports, the world-acclaimed footballer was ordered to remain in jail in Paraguay on Saturday (07.03.20) after a judge ruled him a flight risk.
The ex-Barcelona forward was arrested last week for attempting to enter Paraguay with a false passport two days earlier and spent Friday night in a police cell along with his brother and business manager Roberto Assis.
The pair asked to be released into house arrest but that was rejected by the judge, who also dismissed Assis’s claims to have a heart problem because he showed no proof.
Judge Clara Ruiz Diaz said their alleged offence was a “serious one against the interests of the Paraguayan state”.
Because the pair posed a flight risk they must remain in custody, she added.
Under Paraguayan law, officials now have six months to complete their investigation but Ronaldinho’s lawyers, who called the decision “incredible,” are expected to present an appeal in the coming days.
The ruling comes only a day after a prosecutor told the court that the two siblings had been duped and had been co-operative with the authorizes therefore there was no reason to prosecute them, The Sauce reported.
The 39-year-old award-winning footballer had travelled to Paraguay to promote a book and a campaign for underprivileged children reported BBC.
In July 2019, the player reportedly had his Brazilian and Spanish passports confiscated over unpaid taxes and non-payment of fines for illegally building on a nature reserve.
