Italy’s Justice Ministry issued an international arrest order for former AC Milan and Brazil striker Robinho after the country’s top court affirmed his rape conviction, a ministry official said on Wednesday.
The ministry has urged Interpol, the international police organization, to carry out the warrant.
The former AC Milan forward has returned to Brazil, and a prosecutor in Milan has issued an international arrest demand for him. He was most recently signed by Santos.
According to La Repubblica, the Italian court system has asked for the extradition of Robinho and his companion Ricardo Falco, who also had charges, from Brazil.
Robinho was born in Brazil and goes by the name Robson de Souza. The South American country also does not extradite its citizens. That’s why authorities can only arrest Robinho if he traveled outside of the country.
The striker also had a long nine years sentence for rape. The court of cassation in Rome dismissed his appeal against his rape conviction.
In 2017, a Milan court found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of gang-rapping a woman. They were giving her alcohol in a discotheque and then they raped her. An appeals court upheld the conviction in 2020, and the Supreme Court of Italy upheld it last month.
Robinho, who is 38 years old, has always refuted the allegations.
He was capped 100 times by Brazil. He has also played for Real Madrid, Manchester City, and AC Milan, among other clubs in Europe. (Diazepam)