Cristiano Ronaldo insisted again Wednesday that he did not rape a woman he met in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 and that their sexual encounter was “completely consensual”, said his lawyer.
“Ronaldo is forced to break his silence,” said the Juventus and Portuguese star’s lawyer Peter Christiansen in a statement released through Gestifute, the company which manages the player’s affairs.
“Once again, for the avoidance of doubt, Cristiano Ronaldo’s position has always been, and continues to be, that what happened in 2009 in Las Vegas was completely consensual.”
Police in Las Vegas announced last week that they were reopening an investigation into allegations made by a former model, Kathryn Mayorga, relating to an incident in 2009.
Ronaldo has vehemently denied the rape accusations.
“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” the 33-year-old said in a statement.
“Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.”
Mayorga claims she was pressured into signing a non-disclosure agreement in 2010 to keep the alleged rape secret and is seeking at least $200,000 in penalties and damages.
“Cristiano Ronaldo does not deny that he agreed to conclude an agreement,” added Christiansen.
“This agreement is by no means a confession of guilt. What happened was simply that Cristiano Ronaldo merely followed the advice of his advisers in order to put an end to the insulting accusations made against him in order to avoid attempts, such as those now witnessed, to destroy a reputation built thanks to intense work, great athleticism and ethically impeccable behaviour.”
Christiansen added “documents that allegedly contain statements by Cristiano Ronaldo and were reproduced in the media are pure invention”.
(AFP)