Who is Ines Guardiola, Dani Alves’ Lawyer Who Helped With His $1.08 Million Bail

A Spanish court has ruled that ex-Barcelona player Dani Alves can be conditionally released on a $1.08 million bail. This verdict comes a month after the court sentenced Alves to serve four-and-half-years in prison for sexually assaulting a Spanish woman in a Barcelona nightclub. Alves has hired three lawyers to work on his case since he got arrested in January 2023. But it took the Brazilian his third lawyer, Ines Guardiola, to help arrange a bail.

Guardiola argued her client had already served a quarter of his sentence in pre-trial detention following his arrest and was eligible for bail. After the court’s February sentence, she said, “Four and a half years is much better than nine and twelve that the accusation requested, but we are going to appeal because I still believe in Mr. Alves’ innocence.” Now that she’s steered the Dani Alves case in a different direction, let’s find out more about the Barcelona-based criminal lawyer.

Ines Guardiola Sanchez founded the law firm Guardiola Penalistas in Barcelona. As per the firm’s website, it offers comprehensive defense services in Criminal Law. Before becoming a practicing lawyer, Guardiola pursued undergraduate law at Pompeu Fabra University in 2003. Thereafter, she joined the University of Barcelona in 2004 to pursue a Master’s in Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences.

Subsequently, the now-43-year-old secured a doctorate in Criminal Law from the University of Barcelona in 2016. Currently, Ines Guardiola is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Penitentiary Law Commission and the Iltre Drug Commission of the Barcelona Bar Association. Besides being a criminal lawyer, Ines Guardiola is also an Associate Professor of Criminal Law at her alma mater, the University of Barcelona.

At an earlier stage of Dani Alves’ trial, the prosecutor claimed that the former Barcelona player had ample financial assets to pay the victim. While that was the case when he had close to a $60 million financial empire, that’s not the case anymore. Per OneFootball, “Alves’ lawyer claimed that her client had a bank balance of negative $21,500 and legal embargo on $54,000 worth of assets.”

While the $1.08 million bail won’t do anything to help Alves’ financial status, Guardiola did, however, go through with the promise to appeal the sentence. And now, she’s helped the ex-Barcelona defender secure bail. But the release isn’t without any conditions.

READ MORE: FC Barcelona Erases Dani Alves’ Club Legend Status Following Guilty Verdict in Court Trial

Dani Alves should meet these conditions while on bail

Besides paying a million euros for the bail, Dani Alves surrendered his Brazilian and Spanish passports before the court. He is not allowed to leave Spain while on bail. Furthermore, the court has issued a restraining order on Alves, preventing him from approaching the victim or even going within one kilometer of her. Additionally, the former Brazilian defender has been instructed to present himself in court every week.

Meanwhile, Alves’ bail is subject to appeal from the opposition. The opposing lawyer, Ester Garcia, has condemned the ex-player’s bail as a “scandal.” She challenged the legal system for being biased towards the rich and assured she would appeal. She said, “It is a scandal that they let him go free… It seems that justice is being done for the rich. They said that he has a small financial capacity right now, but I have no doubt that he will get the million from wherever he is.”

Alves’ lawyer, Ines Guardiola, has yet to speak on the matter. Furthermore, the bail is valid only until the subsequent sentencing, the date of which has not been disclosed yet. So Alves and Guardiola will have to wait till that day to see where the legal battle heads.

READ MORE: Is Dani Alves Bankrupt? Barcelona Legend’s Dip In Net Worth Due To Trial Will Leave You Shocked