President Lula supports Robinho serving rape jail term in Brazil

A Brazilian court will decide on March 20 whether former Manchester City and Real Madrid striker Robinho will serve a sentence in Brazil.

He was handed a jail term in 2017 for his part in a group sexual assault.

Brazil's president said in an interview Monday he hoped the footballer will be convicted by local authorities.

"Everyone who commits rape must be imprisoned. People need to learn that sexual relation is not just about the desire of one party, it's about the agreement of the parties. So a man, a young man who has money, a rich young man, a famous young man, committing a rape, and collectively one, and who thinks he hasn't committed a crime, thinks he was drunk? Shame on you," president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said.

"Rape is an unforgivable crime, so people have to be condemned. They have to be on trial and they have to be convicted. Robinho has already been convicted in Italy, and he was supposed to be serving time here, now he's going to be on trial this month, and I hope he pays the price for his irresponsibility."

Robinho and five others were gound guilty of gang-raping a woman after plying her with alcohol.

The conviction was confirmed by an appeals court in 2020 and upheld by Italy’s supreme court in January 2022.

Robinho received a nine-year sentence.

Brazil does not extradite its citizens when they are sentenced in other countries. The country's Superior Court of Justice will decided if Robinho will serve his sentence in Brazil.