A Paraguayan court has blocked Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho's latest attempt at being moved from jail to house arrest after he offered to pay a $1.6 million cash bail.
The judge also shot down his defense's proposal of a $800,000 home that was brought forward as collateral by a Paraguayan millionaire and friend of the 2002 World Cup winner, according to Brazilian newspaper UOL.
The home was originally presented by Ronaldinho's attorneys last Tuesday during a court hearing in which judge Gustavo Amarilla said the house's value was too low considering the massive wealth the soccer star generated throughout his career.
Paraguayan authorities have implicated 16 people in the fake passport scandal, public prosecutor Federico Delfino said.
Under Paraguayan law, officials have six months to complete their inquiry.
Brazilian businessman Wismondes Sousa Lira, who is also under arrest, told prosecutors that the documents were provided to him by local businesswoman Dalia López, who is in charge of a charity that invited Ronaldinho to make several appearances.
Prosecutors revealed Thursday that López, who is still on the run, paid $18,000 to secure the documents with two men who had inside contacts with migration authorities.
Ronaldinho and his brother, Roberto Assis, have been in jail since March 6, two days after they flew into Asuncion from Brazil each possessing fake passports and identification cards.
However, immigration police did not immediately notice any problem.
Hours later, when the passports were determined to be fake, investigators raided the football star's hotel room and seized the brothers' identity cards and travel documents.
Adolfo Marin, the legal representative for the jailed footballer, said that Ronaldinho was unaware that he was travelling to another country with a passport that was not valid.
'The courts have not taken into account the fact that Ronaldinho didn't know he was committing a crime,' he told Folha de Sao Paulo. 'Because he didn't understand he had been given false documents. He is stupid.'
Another lawyer on his team, Sergio Queiroz said that Ronaldinho and his brother, 'did not know that the passports were irregular, and they cooperated fully with the authorities.'
A former Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan standout, Ronaldinho took part in a five-on-five prison tournament Saturday.
Sporting his trademark ponytail, the Brazil icon looked to be straight in among the action as the tournament got underway at a small concrete pitch.
A later image then showed Ronaldinho surrounded by teammates, clutching a golden trophy.
The team boasting Ronaldinho won the final match 11-2, with Ronaldinho scoring five goals and assisting the other six - and also enjoyed a 16 kilogram pig for dinner.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
