Auckland police close the investigation into the alleged March incidents without charges against any Cape Verde player. A woman is being prosecuted for a false statement, and captain Ryan Mendes’s lawyer speaks of a “complete vindication”.
The end of a case that weighed on the Cape Verde national team for several months. New Zealand police confirmed on Wednesday that the investigation into the alleged incidents of last March has concluded without any Cape Verde player being prosecuted, Stuff reports. Captain Ryan Mendes, named as soon as the affair came to light in June by Globo and the New Zealand Herald, faces no charges.
A woman, however, has been summoned to appear at Auckland District Court on 10 November. She is being prosecuted under the Crimes Act for a false statement. Employed by the Cape Verde federation as an interpreter and for the team’s operational support, she has not been tried at this stage: prosecution does not amount to conviction.
An investigation lasting several months
The matter was reported to Auckland police on 10 April. The alleged incidents are said to have taken place on 27 March, at the hotel where the Cape Verde squad was staying during a four-team FIFA tournament featuring New Zealand, Finland and Chile. Investigators notably collected the hotel’s CCTV footage, and FIFA said it was in contact with the New Zealand authorities.
It was Auckland police’s adult sexual assault team that led the investigation. “A decision to prosecute in these circumstances is not taken lightly and follows months of investigative work by our adult sexual assault team,” Detective Inspector Scott Beard said, according to Stuff. Wednesday’s announcement concerns the woman, not the players.
Mendes camp welcomes the outcome
Ryan Mendes’s lawyer reacted at the end of the proceedings. He described the outcome as a “complete vindication”, according to The Gist. The Cape Verde captain thus sees several months of legal uncertainty come to an end.
The next stage now plays out at Auckland court, where the case will be heard on 10 November. The presumption of innocence remains fully intact for the woman being prosecuted.
A historic run as the backdrop
These events unfolded against a particular sporting backdrop for Cape Verde. The national team later became the smallest nation to reach the knockout stages of a World Cup, Stuff reports. An unprecedented run for a country of that size, captained by Ryan Mendes.