Spanish prosecutors appeal court ruling acquitting Dani Alves

Former Brazil international Dani Alves was recently acquitted by a Barcelona court in a high-profile rape case. In response, Spanish prosecutors have filed an appeal, claiming judicial errors in the evaluation of evidence, according to L'Equipe.

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To recap, on March 28, 2025, the Barcelona Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in the rape case involving Dani Alves. Under the original verdict, the ex-footballer was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

The conviction was overturned because the court deemed the prosecution's evidence insufficient and the victim's testimony unreliable. Prosecutors have now appealed, stressing that the court’s decision was “arbitrary and unfair” to the alleged victim.

The prosecution criticized the court for its “irrational” conclusions, highlighting discrepancies between the victim’s behavior captured on surveillance cameras and her testimony. In their appeal, prosecutors are seeking a nine-year prison sentence for Alves.

To remind, Alves was accused of raping a young woman during the night of December 30 to 31, 2022, in a VIP area of a nightclub in the Catalan capital.