Argentine soccer star Gonzalo Montiel appeared before prosecutors Tuesday morning for a psychiatric evaluation over January 2020 rape allegations made by his ex-girlfriend.
The 27-year-old world soccer champion was accompanied by his lawyer and did not answer questions from several journalists waiting outside the prosecutor’s office in the Buenos Aires town of La Matanza.
The woman, who has identified herself as Carolina, was dating Montiel and was invited to his birthday party at his parents’ home in the La Matanza neighborhood of Virrey del Pino on December 31, 2019.
Carolina, who also works as a flight attendant, alleges that she was raped by him and at least three other men on January 1, 2020.
So far only Montiel and his neighbor and friend Alexis Acosta have been accused of sexual abuse with carnal access.
Argentine soccer star Gonzalo Montiel was accused by his ex-girlfriend, a model and flight attendant who identified herself as Carolina, of raping her at her parents’ home in La Matanza, Argentina, on January 1, 2020.
In an April interview with Argentine news network TN, Carolina said she had nightmares in which she had been raped by soccer star Gonzalo Montiel after attending his birthday party on the night of Dec. 31, 2019. She said the incident took place on Jan. 1, 2020, and that three of her friends were also involved.
Carolina’s lawyer, Raquel Hermida, appeared in an interview with the news channel America 24 outside the Prosecutor’s Office and said that Montiel’s psychiatric evaluation was the last step before the case goes to trial.
“I certainly think this is the best process to determine and condemn the guilty,” Hermida said.
Hermida said Carolina “was in love in a certain way” and went to meet Montiel’s family the night she was allegedly sexually abused.
“Unfortunately, when she got there, the situation was one of surrender and sexual abuse and she fell asleep immediately because they drugged her and gave her alcohol,” said Hermida.
‘Drugs have been proven in the case, it has been proven by witnesses and by the other defendant (Acosta),’ he added. ‘In other words, not only do the witnesses talk about drugs, they talk about pharmaceuticals, but another defendant also talks about cocaine.’
Montiel’s legal team issued a statement after the two-hour meeting, saying they were confident he would be acquitted.
“This new procedure will provide evidence that will confirm, as has been demonstrated in the case, his innocence,” he said.
‘Convincing evidence was provided to the trial showing that Montiel was not linked to the events of which he is accused and there is full confidence that the ongoing judicial process will yield the results expected by the defence.’
Montiel is scheduled to appear for a second evaluation on Friday.
In an April 11 interview with TN News, Carolina recalled arriving in a taxi at Montiel’s parents’ residence and greeting his family in the small courtyard.
After a while, she said, she went into the house and was served a glass of Fernet and Coke before she began to feel ill while dancing.
Carolina recalled sending a text message to Montiel via WhatsApp asking for help.
“I wrote to him: ‘Gonzalo, I don’t feel well.’ I wrote to him: ‘I’m scared, can you take him home?’ He didn’t respond to any of that,” she said.
Argentine soccer player Gonzalo Montiel is seen with his lawyer arriving at the prosecutor’s office in the Buenos Aires city of La Matanza on Tuesday morning for a psychiatric evaluation after the athlete and a friend were formally charged with raping his ex-girlfriend.
In April, Carolina came forward and shared details of how she was drugged and raped by her ex-boyfriend, Argentine soccer star Gonzalo Montiel.
She said she then charged her cell phone and went to the bathroom, where she washed her face and then saw Montiel after leaving.
“That was one of the last things I saw. From then on I completely lost consciousness and woke up on the street, on the sidewalk,” Carolina said.
“I saw dirt and it was all wet. And I heard screams, I started to hear screams. Her sister was insulting me, she wanted to hit me. I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t understand why her sister wanted to hit me. I completely lost consciousness because I don’t know how I got home.”
Carolina recalled waking up at 8 p.m. later that day and noticing that she had bruises on her legs. She said Montiel texted her and told her that he had slept with someone.
“I replied: ‘Impossible.’ She stopped answering and Gonzalo’s mother called me. Gonzalo clearly gave her my number because she didn’t have my phone number,” she said.
“She told me: ‘Honey, you were raped, take some suppositories.’ I started crying and screaming. I didn’t understand anything,” Carolina said. “I said to her: ‘What do you mean, they raped me? What do you mean, they gave me some suppositories?’”
Carolina revealed that she had nightmares about the incident and at one point, she recalled how Montiel was lying on top of her in a musty-smelling room while the other two men laughed.
In a video statement that appeared on Hermida’s Instagram on April 10, Carolina claimed she had sought representation from attorneys who were interested in reaching a financial settlement rather than filing legal charges against Montiel and the other suspects.
Montiel, who returned to La Liga side Sevilla after a one-year loan at Premier League side Nottingham Forest, had denied all allegations.
He voluntarily testified before a judge in June 2023 before being informed that he was under formal investigation.
Montiel, who scored the final penalty shoot-out in the 2022 World Cup match against France, was playing for iconic Argentine club River Plate at the time of the alleged rape.
DailyMail.com has contacted Sevilla for comment.
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