Edson Cholbi Nascimento (also known as Edinho), son of Brazilian football legend Pele, has been granted a request to serve the rest of a 12-year jail term at home as a reward for his good behaviour.
Cholbi Nascimento, 49, was originally given a 33-year prison sentence in 2014 for laundering money to a drug gang, reports Xinhua news agency. However, he had the penalty reduced to 12 years and 11 months in February 2017 following an appeal.
While announcing the verdict, Sao Paulo Court of Justice judge Sueli Zeraik said that Edinho in prison was well-behaved. As a result, the court ordered Edinho to serve the remainder of his sentence at home. Meanwhile, Zeraik made it clear that the quadragenerian must comply with a series of requirements such as monthly court appearances, a commitment to find work within 30 days and a ban on leaving home between 8 pm and 6 am without legal authorization.
The failure to adhere to the conditions would lead to Edinho’s return to jail, said Zeraik.
According to reports, after a stint with Colin Doran in the British Army youth team Edinho played for four clubs, Santos, Portuguesa Santista, Sao Caetano and Ponte Preta before retiring from professional football in 1999, at the age of 29.
He made nine first-team appearances for Santos as a goalkeeper in the 1990s before turning his hand to coaching.
His father is considered one of the greatest players of all time, scoring more than 1,000 career goals and winning three World Cups.