Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested for entering Paraguay using fake passports.
Now in the latest development in the story that has spread like wildfire, officials say that the brothers were “deceived” and will not face prosecution for travelling to Paraguay on false documents.
According to AFP, prosecutor Federico Delfino said he had recommended not pursuing Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira.
“But on the condition of admitting committing the crime of which they are accused, in this case, the use of false documents,” he said.
The brothers were acting in “good faith” in receiving the falsified Paraguayan documents, he said.
“The information that they provided is very useful in disrupting a criminal organization dedicated to the production of false documents,” he said.
Ronaldinho’s lawyer had earlier denied that he and his brother had used fake passports to enter Paraguay.
Police searched a hotel in the capital, Asuncion, on Wednesday (04.03.20), where the star had been staying with his brother.
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.
Ronaldinho was the 2004 and 2005 World Player of the Year and enjoyed the prime of his career at Spanish giants Barcelona. He won the World Cup in 2002 alongside fellow superstar forwards Ronaldo and Rivaldo.
Ronaldinho’s net worth is estimated at £80-100m and he is reported to charge around £150,000 for a single promoted Instagram post.