Dalia Angélica López Troche is a Paraguayan businesswoman whose name became internationally known following the 2020 case involving Brazilian football star Ronaldinho Gaúcho and his brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira.
Before the controversy, López was known in Paraguay as a businesswoman involved in several commercial activities and as president of the Fundación Fraternidad Angelical, an organization associated with social and community projects. Her activities had particularly strong connections to the department of San Pedro, where she had developed a public profile through business and philanthropic initiatives.
The Ronaldinho case
López became the focus of a major criminal investigation in March 2020, when Ronaldinho and his brother entered Paraguay using Paraguayan identification documents that prosecutors said contained false information.
The former football star had traveled to Paraguay following an invitation connected to a project promoted by López and her foundation. Ronaldinho and his brother were subsequently detained by Paraguayan authorities and spent months in the country while the document case was investigated. They were later released and no longer faced pending proceedings in Paraguay related to the episode.
Paraguayan prosecutors subsequently accused López of involvement in the alleged provision of false public documents and charged her with criminal association. She maintained a fugitive status for approximately six years and was the subject of national and international arrest orders.
Six years as a fugitive
On April 2, 2026, López was arrested in Asunción after prosecutors and police located her at a residence in the Herrera neighborhood. Paraguay's Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that she had been wanted since 2020 and that an international arrest order was in effect.
Following her arrest, prosecutors resumed procedural steps in the case. Authorities reiterated the allegations involving false public documents and criminal association, while a judge initially ordered her detention as the proceedings continued.
In May 2026, a judge granted López house arrest with electronic monitoring. She was also prohibited from leaving Paraguay and required to comply with additional judicial conditions. The court later granted prosecutors additional time to complete the investigation, setting October 2 as the deadline for the prosecution to present its concluding request.
A case still before the courts
The case against Dalia López remains a judicial proceeding rather than a final conviction. Paraguay's Public Prosecutor's Office describes her as being prosecuted over alleged offenses involving false public documents and criminal association.
Some Paraguayan authorities and media reports have also discussed possible financial or other criminal connections involving López. Those matters should be treated separately from the charges formally described in the prosecutors' case, because allegations and investigative suspicions are not equivalent to a final judicial finding.
Her case remains one of the most closely followed legal episodes connected to the 2020 Ronaldinho scandal and illustrates how a businesswoman with a public philanthropic profile became the subject of a major criminal investigation in Paraguay.
SOURCES:
Paraguay Public Prosecutor's Office – Dalia López arrested after six years as a fugitive
Paraguay Public Prosecutor's Office – Investigation resumed after her detention
ABC Color – Prosecutors request additional time in Dalia López case
La Nación Paraguay – Four-month extension granted to prosecutors
ge.globo – Dalia López arrest and Ronaldinho case background
