Ronaldinho Gaúcho, the renowned Brazilian footballer, is at risk of being apprehended by officials for questioning in a cryptocurrency scam investigation in Brazil. Local news sources indicate that Ronaldinho did not show up as required at the national legislature for an inquiry into an alleged pyramid scheme connected to one of his enterprises.
The ex-player of Paris Saint-Germain, F.C. Barcelona, and AC Milan disregarded a summons for the second time on August 24, and did not provide testimony at a congressional session, blaming unfavorable weather. Congressman Aureo Ribeiro stated that Ronaldinho would get another chance to testify on August 31. If he does not show up again, law enforcement may forcibly bring him before the committee.
Brazilian law mandates that witnesses summoned to testify before the legislature must comply. Those who do not obey a summons can be penalized financially and forcibly escorted to Congress by the police. The inquiry is focused on Ronaldinho’s business, “18kRonaldinho,” which is accused of guaranteeing clients daily profits exceeding 2% via cryptocurrency investments. A lawsuit demanding over $61 million in damages has been lodged against the firm for not delivering the promised profits. This legal action is now part of a wider investigation into cryptocurrency scams in Brazil. Ronaldinho’s legal representatives contend that he was only the “ambassador” of the firm, and therefore, another victim of the purported fraud. They assert that his likeness and name were unlawfully utilized to mislead potential customers without the necessary permission. Ronaldinho’s cryptocurrency ventures also encompass a collection of nonfungible tokens (NFTs), initiated in partnership with INFLUXO in 2021.
In 2020, Ronaldinho and his sibling, Roberto de Assis, were detained in Paraguay for entering the nation with counterfeit passports and were incarcerated for over 170 days. Assis is also implicated in the ongoing cryptocurrency investigation.
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