Pele's son returns to jail after lost laundering appeal

A son of Brazilian soccer legend Pele was arrested near Sao Paulo after losing an appeal against money laundering accusations, state judicial authorities said Wednesday.

Former goalkeeper Edson "Edinho" Cholbi do Nascimento, 43, who briefly played for his father's former club Santos, was handed a 33-year jail term in May for laundering money raised from drug trafficking but appealed and given temporary release prior to his re-arrest.

"Arrested Tuesday, Edinho has already appealed to await his trial at liberty," a court spokesman told AFP without giving any further details.

Civil police told AFP Edinho was transferred early Wednesday to a police station at Santos, a coastal town in Sao Paulo state, ahead of a transfer to a local penitentiary.

Following his first appeal he was arrested at his home at Praia Grande, a small town outside Santos, only to be released a week later.

He was then banned from leaving Brazil and ordered to report weekly to a Praia Grande court.

On doing so Tuesday, judge Suzana Pereira da Silva ruled he should go to jail.

Edinho, one of seven children of three-time world champion Pele, was first detained in 2005 following a police swoop on a drug trafficking gang. He served six months in prison but was then released on license.

Edinho has refuted the allegations against him and said his only contact with the gang was as a drug taker. He was then accused of laundering on the basis of phone tap evidence.