Daniel Alves’ Trial: Conflicting Testimonies and Defense Strategy – Full Coverage

1 of 2 Joana Sanz, wife of Daniel Alves, upon arrival for the player’s trial in Barcelona — Photo: EFE/Enric Fontcuberta Joana Sanz, wife of Daniel Alves, upon arrival for the player’s trial in Barcelona — Photo: EFE/Enric Fontcuberta

– He went to eat with his friends at the restaurant. He spent the day there and came back at almost 4 in the morning. He came back very drunk, a person with a lot of alcohol. He hit the closet and fell on the bed, reported Joana Sanz.

According to the testimonies of Daniel Alves’ friends, the group met since mid-afternoon at the Taberna del Clínic restaurant. Early in the morning, they went to the Nuba bar and only then took the route to the Sutton nightclub. According to Bruno Brasil, a friend who was with the right-back at the club, the player “was the one who drank the most”.

2 of 2 Bruno Brasil, friend of Daniel Alves, upon arrival at the Barcelona Court for the player’s trial — Photo: Lluis Gene / AFP Bruno Brasil, friend of Daniel Alves, upon arrival at the Barcelona Court for the player’s trial — Photo: Lluis Gene / AFP

– I don’t remember exactly, but it was a lot because we stayed from 2:30 pm until 1 am, so we drank a lot. I would say we ordered about five bottles of wine, one of whiskey. Thiago doesn’t drink, Bruno doesn’t drink much, so Daniel and I drink a lot. We ordered four gin and tonic drinks. He had been drinking a lot – said Ulises, one of the full-back’s friends.

Apart from people related to Daniel Alves, another statement indicated different behavior from the player. The nightclub manager stated that the player “had either been drinking or taken something, but he was not normal”. On Monday, waiters at the establishment ruled out something wrong with the athlete that night.

According to the Spanish press, alleging drunkenness is part of Daniel Alves’ defense strategy to, at the very least, obtain a sentence mitigation.

Just like on the first day, Daniel Alves, who has been in pre-trial detention for more than a year, attended the hearing in person at the Barcelona Court.

Presided over by judge Isabel Delgado Pérez, the 21st section of the Barcelona Hearing would hear 22 people this Tuesday, but two were dismissed.

See images of Daniel Alves at his trial

Prosecutor indicates contradiction

In front of the judges this Tuesday, Bruno Brasil stated that the group of friends left the club “for no particular reason”. However, the prosecution countered, claiming that, in a previous statement, he had said that the player had gone to the bathroom, where the crime had taken place, because he was feeling sick and that was why they left. Bruno, who testified in Portuguese, replied that he had to speak in Spanish at the time and that it was not very clear. He assured that the defender did not say why he had gone to the bathroom.

– When he (Daniel Alves) came out of the bathroom, I was with (the complainant’s) cousin. We were getting in touch with each other. He came out of the bathroom, stood next to me and continued dancing, in the same room. She left, spoke to everyone, said goodbye to me, her cousin too and they left. I don’t remember how long it took between her leaving and saying goodbye after the bathroom. I don’t remember the time, but we were still inside for a while. It was late, we had already drunk a lot and that’s why we left – said Bruno, ensuring that Daniel Alves and the complainant before “were fine, dancing together”.

“I didn’t want money, I wanted justice”

Police officers who participated in assisting the complainant and detaining Daniel Alves also gave testimony this Tuesday. One of them assured that the security cameras fully corroborate the woman’s version. Another said that fingerprints were found inside the bathroom in the sink area, on the mirror, on the toilet lid and in the cistern.

– She said that the person had not let her leave the place where she had gone and that he had touched her private parts from the inside. She said she didn’t want money, she wanted justice. We advised her to report the facts or not inform the first police officer to assist the complainant.

What the second day of the trial already showed must be repeated. Daniel Alves’ defense will present a fifth version of what happened that night. According to the newspapers “La Vanguardia” and “El Periódico”, the Brazilian will declare that he was drunk on the morning in question. Lawyer Inés Guardiola would maintain that the accused “was not fully aware of what he did”.

The court ordered Daniel Alves to pay €150,000 (R$798,000) if convicted, for moral and psychological damages. The right-back is in pre-trial detention at the Brians 2 Penitentiary Center, on the outskirts of Barcelona. There is no set deadline for presenting the final sentence.

2024-02-06 17:14:38
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