Corinthians crisis reaches prosecutors and courts, calls for intervention | OneFootball

A request sent to the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-SP) calls for the opening of an investigative proceeding and possible court-ordered intervention in Corinthians, alleging serious institutional instability, repeated violations of the club’s Bylaws, and the inability of the club’s internal bodies to govern themselves.

The three-page document is signed by member Leandro Jorge Bittencourt Cano, a judge, and was filed last Tuesday (24), addressed to prosecutor Luiz Ambra Neto, who is responsible for the inquiry already opened at the MP-SP investigating the possibility of judicial intervention in Corinthians.

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In the request, the member argues that Corinthians is experiencing a persistent state of administrative and institutional deterioration, marked by conflicts among internal bodies, decisions made contrary to the Bylaws, and a lack of effective internal correction mechanisms.

According to the filing, the situation had already drawn the attention of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in previous statements by prosecutor Cássio Conserino. According to the document, however, the irregularities have not been resolved and, on the contrary, have intensified in recent weeks.

Among the facts cited as recent and relevant, the document mentions the interruption of the process of deliberating on the club’s new Bylaws, which allegedly was not regularly concluded by the Deliberative Council. In the view of the author of the request, the halt in the procedure compromised the exercise of the body’s authority and revealed a scenario of decision-making paralysis incompatible with the minimum governance required for the entity.

The text also states that the failed vote may indicate obstruction of a relevant structural deliberation, which, in the member’s assessment, reinforces the picture of institutional disorganization.

The request also questions the meeting that approved the removal of the president of the Deliberative Council and points out that the call for the meeting took place in noncompliance with the club’s Bylaws. According to the document, the bylaws provide a specific rule on who has the authority to call the meeting, which was not observed, and instead an interpretation considered improper of a general provision was used.

According to the text, the defect in authority is structural in nature and renders the act null from the outset, contaminating the subsequent deliberations carried out at the same meeting.

Another point highlighted is what the request describes as a “qualified emptying” of the deliberative meeting. The document states that the Deliberative Council has around 300 members, but approximately 130 took part in the vote, a number that, in the author’s view, indicates weakness in the legitimacy of the process.

The text adds that the Council’s secretary, who was conducting the proceedings, expressed disagreement regarding the legality of the meeting and left the venue, a fact pointed to as internal recognition of the irregularity of the procedure. For the member, the combination of these elements demonstrates a breakdown of the minimum consensus necessary for the functioning of the collegiate body and compromises the validity of the deliberative act.

The request argues that the recent episodes are not isolated, but part of a repeated pattern of bylaw violations, conflicts among internal bodies, and decisions made outside institutional rules. In the submission made to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, this set of facts shows the club’s inability to govern itself.

The document states that the club has not been able to ensure compliance with its own Bylaws, nor guarantee regularity in its deliberative processes, which would justify outside action to restore legality.

Request for investigation and possible intervention

In light of the above, Leandro Cano requests that the Public Prosecutor’s Office open an investigative proceeding, jointly analyze the recent facts together with existing investigations, and adopt measures to restore compliance with the Bylaws.

The request also includes that, if the inability of self-governance is recognized, the Public Prosecutor’s Office should seek a court-ordered intervention in Corinthians, with the aim of restoring institutional order, ensuring compliance with the Bylaws, and guaranteeing the regularity of the club’s deliberative processes.

In the document, the author argues that Corinthians’ social and economic relevance would justify public authorities’ intervention. He states that the internal crisis goes beyond the scope of a political dispute and compromises the club’s very social function.

Group also seeks intervention and files request in court

The group Salvem o Corinthians, made up of club supporters, has also filed for judicial intervention, but through the 2nd Court of Bankruptcies and Judicial Recoveries of the São Paulo Court of Justice, in a petition assigned by connection to the records of the Centralized Enforcement Regime (RCE). According to the petitioners, the connection is justified by the fact that the club is subject to a court-approved payment plan, which, in the group’s view, makes it necessary for the request to be analyzed by the same court responsible for overseeing the regime.

In the lawsuit, the supporters say Corinthians is experiencing what they describe as a “political hijacking,” which would prevent the effective participation of members and compromise internal and external oversight mechanisms. To support the request, the document compiles episodes from recent administrations, starting with Andrés Sanchez’s second term (2018-2020), including the rejection of accounts without the removal of the executive, the approval of financial statements considered reckless, agreements classified as harmful to the club, and debt renegotiations.

Also cited are investigations into the use of corporate cards by Andrés Sanchez and Duilio Monteiro Alves, suspicions of tax irregularities under Duilio’s administration, and the VaideBet case, which occurred during Augusto Melo’s administration and resulted in impeachment and court proceedings.

The group also criticizes the current administration, accusing president Osmar Stabile of omission in episodes such as the diversion of sports equipment, questioned payments to an employee charged by the MP-SP, the leak of information in a commercial negotiation, and the continued presence of a company cited in a police investigation in the management of the Neo Química Arena fund. Deliberative Council president Romeu Tuma Júnior, meanwhile, is accused of violating the Bylaws in internal procedures and in conducting the meeting that dealt with bylaw reform.

The lawsuit requests, as an injunction, the removal of the president of the board, the Deliberative Council, Cori, and the Fiscal Council, as well as council members who allegedly participated in or omitted themselves in the face of what the group calls an institutional rupture. The petitioners suggest the appointment of professor José Kobori as intervenor for the board and Hélio Viana for the Council, leaving the choice of those responsible for Cori and the Fiscal Council to the court’s discretion.

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