Case closed: Judge orders official end to Neymar rape investigation
A judge in Brazil has ordered the closure of the investigation into claims footballer Neymar raped model Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza in a Paris hotel room in May.
Prosecutors in Sao Paulo said they agree with the findings of police that there was a lack of evidence against the Paris Saint-Germain forward, leading to judge Ana Paula Vieira de Moraes officially ordering the case to be closed.
READ MORE: Brazil police drop Neymar rape case due to lack of evidence
Neymar, 27, was accused of raping Trindade when the pair met in a Paris hotel on May 15, after they had arranged to meet through Instagram.
The footballer denied the allegations and said they were an attempt at extortion.
Trindade later appeared on TV in Brazil to make various explosive claims about Neymar, while footage of a subsequent encounter between the pair also appeared online in which the model was seen lashing out at the footballer.
Also on rt.com WATCH: Rape accuser 'attacks Neymar in Paris hotel'Several lawyers defending Trindade had dropped her case over disagreements on how they should proceed and over concerns regarding evidence.
Speaking on Thursday, prosecutor Flavia Merlini said: "What happened between four walls is impossible to know, we have her word against his.
“We have decided to ask for the closure of the case.”
Fellow prosecutor Estefania Paulin said Trindade had not produced any of the evidence she claimed she had, including alleged video footage.
Neymar’s father thanked prosecutors for their decision, saying: "We've lived a nightmare for the last endless months... let our lives go on with our heads held high."
Police are still probing whether the model falsely reported a rape, while Neymar is being investigated over images and messages he shared without the consent of Trindade after the initial reports of the accusations were reported.
