By Mary Jordan
Washington Post Foreign Service

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 22 -- Gloria Trevi, the Mexican pop music superstar, was cleared by a judge on charges of kidnapping, rape and corruption of minors and walked free Tuesday after spending nearly five years in prison.

A judge in the state of Chihuahua ruled Tuesday that there was not enough evidence to support the charges against Trevi and she walked out of Chihuahua prison late in the day. She was met by cheering fans and told a national television audience that she was ready to resume her singing career.

With her trademark long flowing hair and plunging neckline, Trevi, 36, beamed to the television cameras and said her forthcoming CD would describe her feelings about being incarcerated. Her recordings have sold millions of copies. She told a TV interviewer Tuesday night that she was ready to "take on the world, like never before."

"She is going to come back stronger," said Alberto Gil, 18, a Trevi fan club leader who said that the singer's fans from Brazil to Argentina and Mexico are thrilled. "It's terrible that she spent so much time with criminals," he said. But, he added, "because she has been repressed for five years, she will come back like a volcano."

Prosecutors had alleged that Trevi and her former boyfriend and manager, Sergio Andrade, sexually abused girls after kidnapping them into a traveling entourage.

One of Trevi's accusers said she joined the group at the age of 12 and was impregnated by Andrade. Trevi and Andrade were arrested in Brazil in January 2000, after more accusations surfaced about the cult-like captivity of young girls.

Trevi was extradited to Mexico in December 2002 and was held in Chihuahua until her release. Two of Trevi's backup singers also were cleared Tuesday of the same charges. Andrade is awaiting trial in Mexico.

A taboo-breaker who raffled her panties at concerts, Trevi became a symbol of irreverence, especially after the Catholic Church voiced its disapproval.

Known for crude lyrics, near nudity and appearances as a calendar pinup, she became an icon for poor women who liked her sexy, sassy style.

When her career was interrupted five years ago, one headline read: "From Glory to Hell." But a headline in Mexico on Wednesday said: "From Hell to Glory Again."

Ana Villacorta, vice president of marketing for Trevi's recording company, BMG, said Trevi had written songs in prison that will soon be put on sale. Promoters said Wednesday that plans for a comeback concert were already underway.

There are still unknown details about Trevi having become pregnant while locked up in a Brazil prison, where conjugal visits were not allowed. Trevi claimed she was raped, but Brazil officials said DNA tests revealed that Andrade was the father.

In the television interview that was also posted on one of her fan club Web sites, Trevi said, "I am going to miss my companions" in the prison, where "there are lot of innocent people and those who make mistakes and deserve a second chance."

© 2004