Khaberni - A businesswoman accused of providing former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho with a forged passport that led to his arrest in Paraguay in 2020 surrendered to the authorities on Thursday, according to the Paraguayan police.
The winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2005 was jailed for about a month, then placed under house arrest for about five months in Asunción, after he entered Paraguay with a forged passport along with his brother Roberto in March 2020.
Dalia Lopes (55 years old), who had been wanted since that time, is suspected of having provided the documents and organized the trip that was intended to promote a book.
Upon his arrival in the country, the former player was arrested for presenting a Paraguayan passport and a forged identity card.
The Brazilian judiciary had withdrawn his Brazilian passport in 2018 following his conviction and his payment of a $2.5 million fine for illegally building a dock in a protected area.
Confessions
Dalia Lopes said to the press on Thursday that she surrendered herself because she believed her physical safety was threatened.
During a search at her luxurious residence in Asunción, the police confiscated more than $200,000.
Lopes must face charges of forgery and forming a criminal gang.
About twenty people were arrested at the time in connection with this case, most of them from Paraguayan immigration offices and members of the police.
To avoid a public trial, Ronaldinho paid $90,000, while his brother paid $110,000, which allowed them to leave Paraguay after about six months of detention.
Before that, the brothers had been released from jail and placed under house arrest in a luxury hotel in the Paraguayan capital, against a bail of $1.6 million.
