Court rejects prosecutor removal in case against Corinthians VP | OneFootball

The São Paulo Court of Justice rejected the motion for recusal filed by the defense of Armando Mendonça, Corinthians vice president, against prosecutor Cássio Conserino. The ruling, issued last Wednesday (26) by Judge Amanda Eiko Sato of the 25th Criminal Court of the Barra Funda Central Criminal Forum, denies the removal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office member from the case involving the executive.

After the complaint filed by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office was accepted, Armando Mendonça became a defendant in a criminal case linked to the disappearance of Nike sports equipment, which occurred in the warehouses of the training center and Parque São Jorge. The executive is charged with aggravated and continued embezzlement, attempted aggravated embezzlement, aggravated theft through abuse of trust, and coercion in the course of proceedings. According to the prosecution, he allegedly took 131 items belonging to the club, tried to remove another 19 special NFL jerseys, and coerced employees who took part in the internal audit that identified the alleged irregularities.

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The vice president’s defense filed a motion for recusal, arguing that the prosecutor had a personal interest in the outcome of the criminal case. To support this claim, the following points were listed: his status as a Corinthians fan, evidenced by the prosecutor’s social media posts; his participation in events related to the project to turn the club into a Football Corporation (SAF); the publication of reports on investigations into the club’s most recent administrations; the institutional request for a possible judicial intervention in Timão to be analyzed; and the allegation of irregular conduct in investigative acts.

In his statement, Cássio Conserino rejected the allegations and said his actions resulted from the regular assignment of a representation to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. According to him, the investigations reached different political factions and administrative terms within the club.

The judge, in turn, found that establishing grounds for recusal would require objective proof of a personal interest in the outcome of the case. In the judge’s view, it would not be enough for the Public Prosecutor’s Office member to have an institutional interest in clarifying the facts or to adopt a procedural stance contrary to the defendant.

The ruling, which Central do Timão had access to, states that being a fan, posting photos at matches or events linked to Corinthians, and sharing news about investigations related to the club do not provide sufficient evidentiary weight to prove a personal interest in the outcome of the criminal case.

The judge emphasized that there was no proof that the prosecutor belongs to an internal political group at the club, takes part in a slate or administrative body, has ties to Armando Mendonça’s opponents, or would gain any financial, professional, or political advantage from a possible conviction.

With the motion for recusal rejected, the judge ordered the immediate issuance of a summons for the defendant, who had not yet been formally served. After service is completed, the case file will be submitted for analysis of the response to the charges.

The case remains pending before the 25th Criminal Court of the Barra Funda Central Criminal Forum, and the executive denies all allegations.

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