Former Brazil football star Ronaldinho was released on Monday by a Paraguayan judge after spending five months in detention over a forged passport. Judge Gustavo Amarilla also released Ronaldinho's brother Roberto de Assis Moreira, who likewise had been held for a month in jail and another four months under house arrest in a hotel in Paraguay's capital, Asuncion, for the same charge. The 40-year-old former World Cup winner The 40-year-old former World Cup winner "is free to travel to whatever country in the world he wants but he must inform us if he changes his permanent residence" for a period of one year, the judge said. "He has no restrictions except for the fulfillment of reparations for damage to society."
Dressed in jeans, a black beret and black shirt, Ronaldinho accepted the terms of his release, which include payment of $90,000 in damages. His brother, who is also Ronaldinho's business manager, must pay $110,000. The judge stressed that he was not issuing a "definitive dismissal" of the case but rather that Ronaldinho was benefitting from a "conditional suspension of the procedure."His brother, on the other hand, was given a two-year suspended sentence.After being held in a police station in Asuncion, where Ronaldinho celebrated his 40th birthday on March 21, the two men had been under house arrest for more than four months in a luxury hotel in the capital, on bail of $1.6 million.
The charismatic striker, who helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup, was arrested on March 6 along with his brother and business manager Roberto Assis when they tried to enter Paraguay with adulterated Paraguayan passports. They were held in jail for 32 days before being released into house arrest in a top Asuncion hotel after paying $1.6 million in bail.The brothers have repeatedly maintained their innocence with their lawyer calling their detention “arbitrary, abusive and illegal.”Ronaldinho last played professionally in 2015, including for Brazilian clubs Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Fluminense, but remains hugely popular with global football fans.