ASUNCION (REUTERS) - Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho Gaucho will be released from jail into house arrest in Paraguay after he and his brother paid US$1.6 million (S$2.2 million) in bail, the judge in his case said on Tuesday (April 7).

The former Barcelona midfielder, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, was arrested on March 6 with his brother and business manager Roberto Assis.

They were accused of possessing adulterated Paraguayan passports.

A lawyer for Ronaldinho and Assis has said their detention was "arbitrary, abusive and illegal."

The judge said he would permit the pair to move into the Palmaroga hotel in Asuncion while they awaited their trial.

They will be allowed to receive visits.

The two men deposited US$800,000 each into a local bank account on Tuesday.

"It's a significant bail in cash to guarantee they will not flee," judge Gustavo Amarilla said.