Former Brazilian footballer Robinho arrested over rape charges.

Former Brazil international football player Robinho will serve a nine-year prison sentence for rape.

The footballer was convicted two years ago in Italy for his part in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a nightclub in Miami back in 2013.

Robinho, 40, was arrested at his flat in his home city of Santos.

The Italian government had sought his extradition to serve a sentence related to a crime. 

However, their efforts were unsuccessful, leading to a request for him to serve his sentence in Brazil.

On Wednesday, a Brazilian court upheld the decision for Robinho to serve his sentence in his home country and ruled that he must serve time in prison rather than under house arrest. 

This decision was further reinforced when a Supreme Court judge rejected a request to halt his detention on Thursday.

The swift and decisive action taken by the Brazilian justice system has received praise from many local media outlets. 

Concerns had been raised that Robinho’s fame and wealth might enable him to evade justice, making the court’s decision all the more significant.

Robinho’s case stems from incidents that occurred while he was playing for AC Milan, an Italian football club. 

Despite his claims of innocence, he was found guilty in 2020 and subsequently lost an appeal in Italy’s highest court in 2022.

 Italian prosecutors then issued an international arrest warrant to ensure his compliance with the sentence.

In a statement to a Brazilian network on Sunday, Robinho maintained that the sexual encounter in question was consensual, indicating his stance on the matter.

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