Corinthians send Andrés Sanchez to Ethics, seek compensation | OneFootball

The Deliberative Council (CD) of Corinthians has decided to accept the partial report from the Justice Committee investigating the use of the club's corporate credit card by former president Andrés Navarro Sanchez. The decision, which Central do Timão had access to, was formalized in an order signed by the president of the body, Romeu Tuma Junior, this Tuesday (27), and mandates the opening of an ethical-disciplinary procedure, in addition to establishing a series of administrative measures related to the case.

The report analyzed specifically covers the period between 2018 and 2020, corresponding to the former president’s second term at the helm of the club, and concluded, at the administrative level, that there was improper use of the corporate card to cover personal expenses unrelated to the club’s institutional interests, as well as a lack of proper documentation and adequate accounting. The Justice Committee also classified the conduct as irregular and reckless management, indicating possible material, moral, and reputational damage to the club.

Photo: © Daniel Augusto Jr. / Ag. Corinthians

The Deliberative Council’s order emphasizes that the Ethics and Discipline Committee is responsible for the final analysis of the merits, ensuring the former president the right to a defense and due process. The text highlights that the process must proceed as quickly as possible, in accordance with the Statute, precisely to avoid nullities and ensure legal certainty in the final decision.

Among the practical determinations, the Council established that the financial department, currently led by Emerson Piovezan, must, within ten days, identify which expenses made by Andrés Sanchez are unrelated to Corinthians, as well as the respective updated amounts. If improper expenses are confirmed, the former president must reimburse the club, with proper documentary evidence included in the case files.

Additionally, the executive board, presided over by Osmar Stabile, will have five days to inform which measures have already been adopted to prevent similar situations from recurring, especially regarding the regulation of corporate credit card use. The order recalls that the topic had already been addressed by the CD, internal bodies, and the club’s compliance in August of last year, at which time the use of this expense instrument was temporarily suspended. If there is no formal regulation, the club will have a non-extendable period of ten days to implement it, with notification to the Deliberative Council, the Advisory Council (Cori), and the Fiscal Council.

The document also records points considered relevant for the analysis of the case. Among them, the fact that, at the time of the events, oversight bodies such as the Fiscal Council, Cori, and external auditors did not point out irregularities in the use of the corporate card. Even so, the order notes that these bodies did not conduct detailed oversight of the expenses, relying on information provided by the financial department.

Another highlighted aspect is that, so far, no executive board, especially the financial one, has formally acted as the club’s legal representative to declare Corinthians as a victim of the investigated acts. According to the order, this circumstance may benefit the interested party, especially considering that the events date back about six years.

Finally, the Deliberative Council determined that a new administrative process be opened for specific monitoring of the ethical-disciplinary procedure. Andrés Sanchez, who had already requested in writing to step down from the CD and Cori, will remain provisionally suspended while the investigation lasts, being summoned only for hearings necessary for his defense and for the judgment of the case.

Contacted by the Central do Timão team to comment on the decision, the former president stated that he will only make statements within the case files.

Recall the case:

The investigation into the irregular use of Corinthians’ corporate card began after complaints from fans, based on leaked invoices from a parody account on the social network X. One of the documents was confirmed as genuine by Andrés Sanchez, who at the time stated that he had reimbursed the club for the expenses.

In July 2025, the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal investigation into the irregular use of the corporate card during the administrations of former presidents Andrés Sanchez (2018-2020) and Duilio Monteiro Alves (2021-2023). Days later, the agency also began investigating the expense report from the presidency in October 2023. Subsequently, the investigation was expanded to include corporate card invoices issued during the administration of ousted president Augusto Melo, from January 2024 to May 2025.

Andrés Sanchez and Roberto Gavioli were charged by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office in October last year. The former president is accused of embezzlement, money laundering, and falsification of tax documents, while the former financial manager faces charges of embezzlement and money laundering. The charges involve more than 200 expenses across 31 invoices, made between August 2018 and February 2021, and include a request for reimbursement to Corinthians’ coffers of more than R$ 480,000, as compensation for material damages.

The lawsuit analyzing the Public Prosecutor’s complaint against the former president and former financial manager is currently suspended after the presiding judge accepted a motion for recusal filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The case was sent to the Special Chamber of the São Paulo Court of Justice (TJ-SP), which will evaluate the request and decide whether the judge will remain in charge of the case.

Parallel to the investigation conducted by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office, the former president also became the subject of an internal investigation by the club’s Justice Committee, which concluded its work on January 19. It is worth noting that the other two former presidents under investigation, Duilio Monteiro Alves and Augusto Melo, will still be heard by the Corinthians Justice Committee.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.