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Former Brazil footballer Dani Alves was released from prison after making the €1 million ($1.08m) bail payment required as he awaits the result of an appeal to his rape conviction, Reuters and Spanish courts confirmed on Monday. Alves was sentenced to 4½ years in prison on Feb. 22 after Catalonia's top court found him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022. He was granted bail on Wednesday but remained in prison for the remainder of the week after failing to come up with the money in time. Flanked by his lawyer, Alves left the Brians 2 prison northwest of Barcelona at shortly before 4:30 p.m. local time wearing a gray jacket over a white turtleneck, a Reuters videographer said. Sources had told ESPN last week that Alves was exploring different avenues to raise the €1m, including freeing up some of his assets and requesting money owed to him by the Spanish tax agency. Spanish news agency EFE reported through judicial sources that Alves had made the payment on Friday. On Monday, the court confirmed receipt of Alves' bail payment and said he was due to be released within hours. For Alves to be released, he is required to hand over his Brazilian and Spanish passports, in addition to posting bail, and is prohibited from leaving the country. He still has a residence near Barcelona. Alves also cannot come within 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) of the victim or try to communicate with her, and he must make weekly check-ins at the courthouse. There was a backlash to the decision to grant Alves bail pending the result of his appeal, with the victim's lawyer, Ester García, calling it a "scandalous" decision. "It is justice for the rich," she said. Information from Reuters contributed to this report.
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