Court rejects Duilio’s bid to halt MP probe into Corinthians management | OneFootball

The São Paulo Court of Justice (TJ-SP) denied the request for a preliminary injunction in habeas corpus filed by the former president of Corinthians, Duilio Monteiro Alves, who sought to suspend the investigation conducted by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP) regarding alleged financial irregularities during his tenure at the club.

The request was submitted by lawyer Lucas Lopes Knupp, who claimed the existence of “illegal constraint” in the conduct of the criminal investigative procedure (PIC 2214/2025). The case investigates possible irregular expenditures with corporate cards and presidency expenses of Corinthians between 2018 and 2025, a period that also includes the administrations of Andrés Sanchez and Augusto Melo.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Defense Arguments

In the petition, the defense argued that the former president was included as a suspect “without any individualization of his conduct,” merely for having held the position of president. The lawyer also stated that the investigation began based on “journalistic articles and a spreadsheet of unknown origin,” supposedly linked to personal expenses, but without proof of authenticity or legal validity.

The document presented to the court also mentions that the headquarters of Corinthians was allegedly invaded, with “several documents stolen,” which, according to the defense, would compromise the chain of custody of potential evidence.

Another point raised was the breach of banking and fiscal secrecy of the club during Duilio's administration, a measure classified as “illegal constraint.” The lawyer argued that the investigation is “illegitimate for dealing with interna corporis matters of a sports entity,” unrelated to public assets or collective rights, and that there would be no just cause for criminal prosecution.

The defense claimed that the way the MP conducts the inquiries, with broad and generic requests to third parties, constitutes a “fishing expedition,” a term used to describe exploratory investigations without a defined factual basis.

Value of the Alleged Deviations

The habeas corpus request also highlighted that the amount pointed out by the MP, R$ 86,524.62 in alleged personal expenses, would be “insignificant compared to the annual budget of Corinthians, which exceeds a billion reais,” which, according to the defense, would demonstrate the disproportionality of the investigation.

Excerpts from the Ruling

The request for a preliminary injunction was analyzed by Judge Sérgio Ribas, of the 8th Criminal Chamber of TJ-SP, who denied the granting of the measure.

In his ruling, the magistrate stated that it is not possible “to immediately perceive, in this summary cognition, the alleged illegality.” He also highlighted that “the granting of a preliminary injunction in habeas corpus is an exceptional measure,” and that, in this case, “no manifest illegality is discerned to warrant the anticipation of the writ's merit.”

The judge ordered the continuation of the investigation, with a request for information from the Public Prosecutor's Office and a statement from the Attorney General's Office, before the merit judgment by the competent panel.

Statement from Duilio's Defense

In a statement, lawyer Lucas Lopes Knupp reinforced that the habeas corpus seeks only to “preventively remove any illegal constraint arising from an investigative procedure without qualified just cause, supported by anonymous documents of dubious origin.”

According to him, “the measure does not oppose legitimate clarifications, but the use of a generic and undefined investigative procedure, the so-called ‘fishing expedition,’ in disagreement with constitutional and legal limits.”

The defense reiterated, finally, “full confidence in the Judiciary for the correct assessment of the matter.”

Stage of the Investigations

The São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating possible irregularities in the expenditures of the administrations of Andrés Sanchez (2018–2020) and Duilio Monteiro Alves (2021–2023) at Corinthians. The investigation began after reports about the use of a corporate card by Andrés and the release of a spreadsheet with expenses attributed to Duilio's administration. Subsequently, former president Augusto Melo (2024–2025) was also included in the investigative procedure.

With the authorized breach of secrecy, the MP-SP has already heard from directors and former directors, including Osmar Stabile, Romeu Tuma Júnior, Roberto Gavioli, and Armando Mendonça. The agency also requested documents from the club's councils and requested the temporary removal of the three former presidents from any institutional role until the investigations are concluded.

After Corinthians completed the submission of the requested documentation, former president Andrés Sanchez gave a statement to the Public Prosecutor's Office last Thursday (2), during which he reaffirmed having used the corporate cards and reimbursed the amounts to the club.

In addition to the investigation conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office, Corinthians initiated an internal investigation through the Justice Committee of the Deliberative Council, with the oversight of the Ethics and Discipline Committee president, Leonardo Pantaleão. The procedure has progressed in recent weeks, and former directors who served during Andrés Sanchez's second term have been invited to provide clarifications.

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