Lula criticizes Dani Alves for bailing on his freedom

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that soccer player Dani Alves, who was sentenced to four years in prison in February in Spain for sexually assaulting him, has been released on US$1 million bail. One of the examples of “injustices we cannot ignore”.

Lula da Silva mentioned Alves during the 44th anniversary of the Workers' Party (PT). “Now we see that Daniel Alves can be released if he pays,” he said.

“The money that Alves has, the money that someone can lend him, cannot compensate for the crime of raping a woman by a man. If intercourse is between two people, it must be permitted and consented to by both. It is actually a crime. We cannot remain silent against these injustices,” the Brazilian president concluded.

CNN is trying to contact the soccer player's legal representative to find out their reaction to the Brazilian president's statements.

On February 22, the Barcelona Provincial Court sentenced Alves to four and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona in late December 2022.

In a 13-page ruling on bail released Wednesday, CNN noted that Alves has already served 14 months in prison, held in detention since his arrest in Barcelona in January 2023, and most recently, since his conviction.

Alves' lawyer has announced an appeal against the conviction and sentence. In the bail ruling, the court said that if Alves pays US$1.08 million, he must surrender his Spanish and Brazilian passports and appear in court weekly.

CNN reached out to the victim's attorneys, but did not immediately receive a response.