Ronaldinho did not intend to use the fake passport found in his possession and his lawyers claimed the football legend was merely guilty of a "stupid" mistake when he entered Paraguay. The former Barcelona star and his brother Roberto Assis were arrested by local police Friday last week. The two will remain in jail pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Initially, Paraguayan prosecutors have indicated that the Brazilian pair will likely escape trial and instead get a slap on the wrist, specifically to be required by a court to pay a fine. However, local authorities backtracked and later on announced that aside from the false documents confiscated from Ronaldinho and his companion, a criminal probe will be conducted.
The Sun reported that authorities are looking into allegations that the former footballer and his brother are engaged in money laundering.
However, Ronaldinho's legal team dismissed the accusations and maintained the former AC Milan superstar is completely clueless on the trouble he's caught into at the moment.
Lawyer Adolfo Marin argued: "The courts have not taken into account the fact that Ronaldinho didn't know he was committing a crime, because he didn't understand he had been given false documents."
Marin further explained that his client acted in good faith in coming to Paraguay and made an honest mistake.
"He is stupid," the lawyer added.
Another member of the star's defense team, Sergio Queiroz, called Ronaldinho's imprisonment as "arbitrary, abusive, and illegal." Queiroz said he will make a plea for the pair to be released and permitted to return to Brazil as there was no crime committed."
"Ronaldinho did not commit a crime because he did not know that the passport they gave him was faked," The Daily Mail reported Queiroz as saying.
"They confessed that they used these false passports. But there was no harm done to the Paraguayan state. Roberto and Ronaldinho did not know that the passports were irregular. And they cooperated fully with authorities," added the lawyer.
However, the judge handling the case, identified as Clara Ruiz, reminded that Ronaldinho and his brother were accused of "a grave and punishable offense against the interests of the Republic of Paraguay."
It is believed the two will be a flight risk and being high-profile, there could be attempts to obstruct justice, which justifies the order to keep them in custody. Ruiz said the two will be under the care of the Specialized Unit, meaning Ronaldinho and Roberto are being treated as important inmates.
The judge said Paraguay is treating the case seriously because "we are dealing with a foreigner who entered the country illegally and who remained in the country illegally."
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho appeared to be in good spirits while in detention as a photo of the football icon showed him in his cell smiling. The image was officially released by Paraguayan authorities, the report said.
