RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Paraguay’s Prosecutor’s Office (MP) has lodged a request for a stay of proceedings against Ronaldinho Gaúcho and his brother, Assis. The two have been in Asunción for five months, accused of the use of forged passports to enter the country.
The MP’s request is expected to be examined by the Paraguayan court in the coming days. If accepted, the Brazilians will be free to return to their country after paying a fine of US$200,000 (a little over R$1 million), of which US$90,000 (R$487,000) refers to Ronaldinho and an additional US$110,000 (R$542,000) to Assis.
Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested on March 6th. After being held in a high-security prison, the two were transferred to house arrest in April at a hotel in Asunción, after bail of US$1.6 million (approximately R$8.5 million).
This Friday’s news that the MP had filed a petition for a stay of proceedings is a victory for Ronaldinho and his brother, after repeated defeats in the neighboring country’s court system. Last month, the Fourth Court of Appeal of Asunción rejected an appeal from their attorneys, who challenged the handling of the case.
The penalty for using forged passports in Paraguay can be up to five years in prison. Prosecutors were still investigating Ronaldinho and his brother’s alleged involvement in a criminal organization specializing in document forgery and money laundering. Since the start of investigations, the Brazilians’ defense has been claiming that the two were deceived and were unaware that their passports had been tampered with.
The case involving the former Brazilian soccer player turned into a scandal in Paraguay and affected several officials from the Migration Directorate and the Identification Department, who issue passports and identity cards, as well as inspectors at Asunción International Airport. Eighteen people were arrested for involvement in the case.
In March, the courts had ruled that Ronaldinho and his brother were to remain in custody during the investigation. The investigation could take up to six months to be completed, according to Paraguayan law.