Robinho to remain in prison during appeals trial

The Supreme Court ordered Robinho to remain in jail in a virtual trial that ended early Wednesday morning with nine votes in favour of keeping him in prison and two votes in favour of granting him habeas corpus.

Robinho has been in prison since last March, serving a nine-year sentence for rape imposed by the Italian justice system. The ex-footballer's defence, with its latest appeals to the Supreme Court, is trying to challenge the court decision that gave the green light for the sentence to be served in Brazil.

The former Real Madrid, Milan and Manchester City player was convicted in Italy in 2017 for a gang rape of a woman committed in 2013 in Milan. Robinho could not be imprisoned then because, before the sentence was known, he returned to Brazil, where the constitution prohibits the extradition of its nationals.

The former striker was arrested in Santos on 21 March after a Brazilian court approved the sentence and allowed him to serve his sentence in the country. A day later, he entered Tremembe prison in the state of Sao Paulo.