Ronaldinho poses for a photo with a policeman in Paraguay. (Source: Twitter/footballbile) Ronaldinho poses for a photo with a policeman in Paraguay. (Source: Twitter/footballbile)

A day after being detained for possessing ‘fake’ passport, the Paraguayan authorities confirmed on Friday that former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho and his brother will not face prosecution for visiting the country on false documents. Prosecutor Federico Delfino recommended not to pursue the footballer and his brother further.

“We have proceeded to charge several people. Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto contributed relevant information to the investigation and were then removed from the case,” Delfino told news agency AFP.

He added that the brothers have provided the authorities with relevant information, which will help them bust the organisation involved in the production of false documents.

“The information that they provided is very useful in disrupting a criminal organization dedicated to the production of false documents,” Delfino said.

Ronaldinho had visited Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital city, to promote a foundation for needy children and promote his book. Their fake documents were detected upon their arrival at the Asuncion International Airport.

The 2002-World Cup winner and his brother were then questioned for over seven hours by the public prosecutor in his office in Asuncion.

The 39-year-old and his brother went to the prosecutor’s office in the morning alongside Paraguayan lawyer Adolfo Marin. “They decided voluntarily to stay and submit themselves to the public prosecutor’s investigations,” said Marin.

Gilberto Fleitas, the investigating officer of this case, told AFP that the passport was provided to Ronaldinho by a Brazilian businessman Wilmondes Sousa Lira, who has been arrested.

Ronaldinho’s original passport was withdrawn by the Brazilian authorities in November 2018 after the footballer failed to pay a $2.5 million fine for environmental damage incurred during building a property in Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd