Ronaldinho Accused of Using Fake Passport

Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested in Paraguay on Friday for allegedly using fake passports to enter the country.

The brothers said the passports were a gift they received upon arrival in Paraguay, according to ESPN, but the two could not explain why they showed the Paraguayan passports when they had recently used their Brazilian passports to travel to China, Europe and the United States.

Prosecutors say they were given the false documents when they landed in the capital Asuncion on Wednesday. According to the inspector leading the investigation, Ronaldinho was given a fake passport by Brazilian businessman Wilmondes Sousa Lira, who has been arrested.

Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho

On other hand, less than two hours later, they got into a closed van at the National Police headquarters.The brothers' lawyer, Adolfo Marin, reported that he did not understand why they had been arrested.

Noteworthy, Ronaldinho and his brother, Roberto Assis, were invited to Asuncion to promote his new book and take part in a youth soccer clinic by a local casino owner.

Despite the fact that Brazilians do not need passports to enter Paraguay, and officials later detained them at their hotel after determining that the numbers on the passports corresponded to other people.

fake passports

Last September, it was reported Ronaldinho and his brother agreed to pay a fine of more than £1million to recover their Brazilian passports. A judge had seized their passports after they were convicted of building an illegal fishing platform on a lake in a conservation area.

They were given until October to pay the fine. It was not immediately clear today if it had been paid or not.