São Paulo ethics panel to try ex-directors over VIP box scandal | OneFootball

The Ethics Committee of São Paulo has scheduled for next Monday (23) the hearing that will judge former directors Mara Casares and Douglas Schwartzmann, who were removed from their positions after being caught in a leaked audio negotiating the sale of an institutional box at Morumbi for a concert by Colombian singer Shakira, in March of last year.

The committee will decide whether the two accused, who are now also under investigation by the Civil Police and the State Public Prosecutor's Office, violated the club's internal rules in the case. If convicted, they could even be expelled from the membership roster.

Mara is no longer part of São Paulo's political life. In addition to her position as events director, she also gave up her seat on the Deliberative Council. Schwartzmann, former youth academy director, left his administrative post but remained as a council member.

The ex-wife of former president Julio Casares is the one facing the most problems with the police investigations. At the end of last month, a notebook seized at the home of Rita de Cássia Adriana Prado, one of the main figures in the scandal, gave new perspectives to the authorities.

Although the contents are under seal, investigators indicate that the notes would help detail how the scheme operated and suggest that at least one São Paulo box was systematically diverted.

The operation was conducted by the 3rd Police Station for Investigations into Criminal Dismantling (Dicca) and also targeted Schwartzmann, former deputy director of the youth academy, and Mara Casares, ex-wife of former president Júlio Casares and then female, cultural, and events director.

The seized notebook would provide more elements about the mechanism that sustained the scheme, which may have lasted longer than initially thought. “The documents collected allow us to see the seriousness of the facts and their extent, including the time span, which is much longer than previously imagined,” said prosecutor José Reinaldo Carneiro Guimarães, emphasizing that the investigation is not yet concluded.

At Mara's residence, the police also seized R$ 28,000 in cash and a computer, as well as documents considered important for the progress of the inquiry. In a statement, São Paulo declared that “it is a victim in this case and will cooperate with the authorities in the investigation.”

Meanwhile, the newspaper ‘O Estado de S. Paulo’ found that the dealings involving Adriana and Mara at the club have been happening at least since 2023.

Currently on leave from the board, Mara is said to have partnered with Adriana in brokering the sale of spaces and tickets for games and shows at Morumbi, as well as other São Paulo events.

Mara’s defense claims that she is fully cooperating with the authorities and that the integrity of her actions will be proven.

The timeline outlined by the police and Public Prosecutor’s Office indicates that the joint actions of the two were not limited to box 3A at the Shakira concert, mentioned in the audio released in December.

Sources heard by the newspaper report Adriana’s presence as an intermediary as early as 2022. Adriana herself has exchanges of messages and emails with club directors and is said to have approached Casares’ opponents to negotiate the material.

THE CASE

Mara was caught together with Schwartzmann in a controversy over the transfer of a space in the Tricolor stadium for a concert by Colombian singer Shakira, in March. Both were caught in phone recordings made by the whistleblower, who felt wronged after claiming to have “been robbed” by a fourth person involved.

Mara’s leave, however, came at an opportune moment for the Casares administration. It happened a day after the approval of São Paulo’s budget for 2026, in which she voted to approve the accounts proposed by her ex-husband.

Although now on leave, Mara will continue to be investigated in the case on two fronts.

First, she will be the target of a police inquiry opened at the request of the São Paulo State Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutor José Reinaldo Guimarães Carneiro, from the Tourism and Sports Commission of the SP Public Prosecutor’s Office, saw clear evidence of crimes involving São Paulo, and not just in the consumer relationship among the other parties involved.

“The first crime is private corruption in sports, which is a crime under the new General Sports Law, in force since 2023. This crime, in fact, presupposes the manipulation of private interests to the detriment of the club’s assets and associations,” said Carneiro.

“And a second crime, which is also very serious, is coercion during the course of the process. Because calling a person and intimidating them to withdraw a case under threat that things will escalate, as the recordings suggest, is an indication of a crime,” added the prosecutor.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office suggests that all three involved in the audio (Douglas Schwartzmann, Mara Casares, and the whistleblower) and all those mentioned, including Marcio Carlomagno, São Paulo’s general superintendent, should be heard.

“All the money collected by an association, whether in a sports venue due to football or another sporting activity, must revert to the club. And not to benefit the private interests of those who should manage the club. The police will take the next steps,” he said.

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