Justin Bieber Donating To Brazil Cancer Hospital For 2013 Hotel Graffiti Fine
Justin Bieber has reportedly agreed to pay Rio de Janeiro prosecutors 20 million Reals, as a fine for the pop icon’s illegal wall-tagging of graffiti on a formerly-abandoned hotel back in 2013.
Rio’s Judge Rudi Baldi Loewenkron reopened the vandalism case against Bieber on March 21, ahead of the singer’s arrival in Brazil with his Purpose World Tour.
The case reopening was at the request of Rio’s public prosecutor’s office, which wanted the superstar to be officially notified of his vandalism charge when he returned to Rio on March 29.
The prosecutors reportedly proposed that Justin should make a donation of R$20 million worth of goods or food to the National Cancer Institute in lieu of a court fine, R7 reports.
.@justinbieber vai pagar R$ 20 mil ao Hospital do Câncer como punição por muro pichado no Brasil em 2013 https://t.co/GXhIbhrJNb #Famosos pic.twitter.com/q6qaiFCQ2t
— Portal R7.com (@portalR7) March 31, 2017
According to Gulf News, the Canadian and his legal team have a three day window to either accept or decline the prosecutors’ proposal.
Given Bieber’s ongoing donations to various worthy causes and outreach initiatives over the years, it is highly likely the 23-year-old and his lawyers will accept the offer.
The Grammy winner performed at Rio’s Apoteose stadium earlier this week. After a short break he plays the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo on Saturday and Sunday.
No doubt Justin Bieber fans will be relieved to hear the news of the Cancer Hospital donation proposal, as it comes after media headlines speculating that the singer would be arrested during his current Brazil trip.
Last week, it was revealed that Judge Lowenkron ordered a court clerk to wait for the pop megastar when he arrived at the city’s airport on Wednesday, where he was asked to sign a document confirming he is aware of the case.
It was claimed Lowenkron had reportedly authorized the use of police force to make sure Bieber signed the document during his Rio de Janeiro show if he did not sign the papers at the airport when he arrived.
Obviously, those kind of dramatics didn’t happen. The pop star’s Purpose Tour concert in Rio not only went ahead, it garnered stunning reviews.
Take a look at highlights from the Rio show in the video below.
Back in 2013, the then-19-year-old Biebs’ obtained permission from Brazilian authorities to legally graffiti the wall of an abandoned building in Rio during his Believe Tour.
However, reports at the time said Bieber’s team revealed he was advised that the chosen area wasn’t safe so he picked another wall that he thought was abandoned graffiti in a safer area.
Unfortunately, that “another wall” was the Hotel Nacional. The singer was subsequently charged with the crime of vandalism against the city order and cultural heritage in November of 2013 because the Nacional is protected by the Brazilian government.
At the time, the Brazilian court decided that Justin wouldn’t be arrested, but would pay a fine.
In 2015, it was suspended so the statute of limitations didn’t run out, which obviously left a window open for it to be reopened when he returned.
Which brings this particular saga to where it is now: Rio’s prosecutors proposing Bieber gives R$20 million to a cancer hospital to legally resolve his 2013 vandalism charge.
The big question has been answered. Justin Bieber was not arrested in Brazil over the 2013 incident.
Meanwhile, after the Rio shows, Bieber’s Purpose World Tour next heads to Peru and other stops in South America.
To date, the superstar has completed over 130 concerts and will wrap his mammoth global trek in his native Canada this September·
Let us know in comments below if you will be attending any Purpose Tour shows.
[Featured Image By Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images]
