ANKARA
The son of world famous Brazilian football legend Pele, Edson Cholbi do Nascimento, known by his nickname Edinho, was put behind bars due to his involvement in money laundering for a drug gang.
According to news from AP on Tuesday, Edinho's case was heard by Judge Suzana Pereira who rejected his appeal and ruled that he was to be jailed.
It was reported that Edinho's lawyers were amazed by the decision and that they will be demanding Edinho's release in a higher court.
74-year-old Brazilian football legend Pele is yet to make any statement about the court's decision..
In summer of this year, 44-year-old Edinho had been sentenced to 33 years in prison for money laundering for a drug gang.
In addition to Edinho, Ronaldo Duarte Barsotti and three other people have been found guilty for drug trafficking in Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo.
Edinho worked for Brazilian club Santos as a goalkeeping coach and assistant manager after his retirement from football and admitted that he was addicted to drugs when he was arrested for the first time in 2005.
He insisted, however, that he was not involved in the drug trade.
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
