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ASUNCION. — Former Brazil and Barcelona player Ronaldinho is adapting quickly to life in a Paraguayan jail, the head of the facility said yesterday, but his lawyers are hopeful he may soon be released into house arrest while the investigation continues.
“In broad terms he is doing very well,” prison warden Blas Vera said in a telephone interview.
“I see he is in good spirits, just like you see him on television, always smiling.”
Vera said that Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis, who were arrested on Friday for using a false Paraguayan passport, would present their case to a judge today.
Their lawyer Sergio Queiroz said they had asked a court to release them into house arrest and offered guarantees they were not a flight risk.
Vera said the 39-year-old former AC Milan and Paris St-Germain forward and his brother had beds, a television and a fan in their cell at the prison on the outskirts of the capital Asuncion. The brothers use a communal bathroom and have the right to use the outdoor patio on a regular basis.
The pair’s lawyers have provided them with meals and they have not eaten the food offered by the jail. The maximum security facility has around 195 detainees, including politicians and police officers accused of corruption as well as major drug traffickers.
The more dangerous prisoners are housed in a different wing to Ronaldinho, Vera said, adding that he was working to ensure the pair’s stay is “as comfortable as possible”. — Reuters.
Online Reporter