Brazilian police has indicted a woman who accused the country’s soccer star Neymar of rape, charging her with fraud, extortion and slander, in what could be a major relief for the Paris Saint Germain striker.
The former Brazil captain was accused of raping Najila Trindade in a Paris hotel room in May, but he alleged the encounter was consensual and prosecutors said in August they were dropping the case against him due to a lack of evidence.
Sao Paulo state police also said in a statement on Tuesday they were indicting Trindade’s former husband, Estivens Alves, on fraud charges.
The BBC reported Trindade’s lawyer as saying the indictment had taken him by surprise and that his client rejected the accusations.
The case received worldwide attention and posed sponsorship headaches for Neymar, as well as hurting his international career.
The former Barcelona and Santos forward always denied the accusations against him and released private chats and lurid photos he had exchanged with Trindade.
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Neymar had denied the accusations, saying he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by a lawyer claiming to represent the woman he is alleged to have assaulted.
The accusation was the latest blow for the Brazilian, who last month was stripped of the captaincy of the national team and has seen his international reputation suffer amid incidents of indiscipline.
The woman alleged that Neymar had drunkenly assaulted her at an upmarket hotel in the French capital, where he plays for the Paris St Germain club.
A statement issued by Neymar’s management on his website (www.neymaroficial.com) said the 27-year-old forward completely repudiated the allegations.
“Although he was surprised by the news, the facts were already known to the player and his staff,”
“Considering that a few days ago he was the victim of an attempted extortion, practiced by a lawyer from Sao Paulo who said he represented the interests of the alleged victim,” read the statement.
“The player’s lawyers were immediately notified and have since taken all appropriate steps.
“We completely repudiate the unjust accusations and, above all, the exposure in the press of an extremely negative situation.
“All evidence of attempted extortion and non-rape will be submitted to the police authorities in a timely manner.”
