ASUNCION: A Paraguayan judge on Tuesday ordered the release of Brazilian football great Ronaldinho and his brother into house arrest while they await trial on charges of using false passports to enter the country.
Judge Gustavo Amarilla told reporters that he had ordered the “continuation of house arrest in a hotel for Ronaldinho and his brother.”
The pair were jailed one month ago to await trial, but their lawyers have posted bail of $1.6 million.
Ronaldinho, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, was a star of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup win and played for European giants Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, among others.
The ruling means the brothers can swap their grim police cell block—which has also housed Paraguay’s former soccer federation chief and the ex-speaker of the lower house of parliament—for a plush colonial-style hotel in downtown Asuncion.
A beaming Ronaldinho, in a black T-shirt and matching headband, gave a thumbs up sign to show he understood the terms of his release.
He and his brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira—who is also his business manager—initially encountered no problems after arriving in Asuncion from neighboring Brazil on March 4.
However, shortly after their arrival, the brothers were taken into police custody when investigators raided their hotel following discovery that their passports were fake.
