This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
Las Vegas prosecutors have dropped rape charges against Cristiano Ronaldo, citing a lack of evidence to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
The decision comes a decade after the investigation into the footballer's alleged involvement in a 2009 sexual assault case was first opened.
Initially, the case was closed in 2009 due to the victim's failure to provide necessary information to proceed with the investigation.
However, the case was reopened in 2017 after a German publication, Der Spiegel, published a story detailing the allegations, although the victim's identity remained undisclosed at the time.
It wasn't until 2018 that the victim, Kathryn Mayorga, came forward to file a lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite the allegations, Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating that the encounter with the victim was consensual.
” I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense. My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquility the results of any & all investigations,” he wrote in a statement.
