Final sentenced to nine years in prison for gang rape, Robinho saw the Milan prosecutor’s office issue an international arrest warrant against him on Tuesday. Italian magistrates have also requested the extradition of the former attacker, now 38 years old. This request is unlikely to succeed, since the constitution of Brazil prohibits the extradition of its nationals.
The international arrest warrant, however, presents a risk for Robinho because he could, in the event of a trip abroad, be arrested in a country that has agreements with Italy providing for extradition.
“For us, it doesn’t matter if he is serving his sentence in Italy or Brazil,” said Jacopo Gnocchi, the victim’s lawyer. The important thing is that he purges her, especially given the offense committed and to protect the women. “The facts date back to January 2013, when the former international, 100 caps, played at AC Milan, after several seasons at Real Madrid (2005-2008) and Manchester City (2008-2011).
Robinho and five of his friends allegedly made a 22-year-old Albanian woman drink “to the point of rendering her unconscious and unable to resist”. They would then have had “multiple and consecutive sexual intercourse” with her. Robinho was previously arrested in England in 2009 on suspicion of raping a woman at a Leeds nightclub. Compensation of 60,000 euros would then have been paid to the victim according to Robinho’s lawyers.
The Italian Court of Cassation confirmed in January the nine-year prison sentence for the gang rape of the young woman. At the time, the judges of the third criminal section, meeting in Rome, “considered that the appeal lodged by the player was inadmissible and that the conviction is therefore final”, according to Me Gnocchi, the complainant’s lawyer.
“In total, fifteen Italian magistrates considered that the accusations had been amply proven. Our wish is that Brazil carries out the sentence”, he concluded. Failing that, Italian justice is ready to take care of it.