VIP box scandal: court seeks São Paulo losses, denies arrest | OneFootball

São Paulo sent a preliminary financial loss estimate to the task force investigating the irregular exploitation of a VIP box at Morumbi.

However, the prosecution reportedly found the material insufficient and requested a more detailed analysis, as the numbers presented were limited to the concert by singer Shakira, held in February of last year, which sparked the scandal narrated in audio released in December.

Additionally, investigators claim to have documents indicating improper use of the space at least since 2023.

After the feedback, the club reportedly began gathering more comprehensive internal data to forward to the authorities, who expect to receive a more precise assessment.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the clandestine commercialization of the VIP box at Morumbi has gained another chapter. According to the portal ‘UOL‘, the São Paulo court rejected, last month, a request from the Public Prosecutor's Office to order the temporary arrest of Rita de Cássia Adriana Prado, identified as an intermediary in the case.

The decision is under seal and also recognized her right to remain silent during the investigations. According to the site, there was concern among investigators about the possibility of evidence destruction or obstruction of the investigations, which are still ongoing. The request for arrest and its denial occurred before Adriana gave her statement at the police station on February 24. On that occasion, she attended but chose not to answer questions and later felt unwell.

According to her lawyers, the silence was due to health reasons, and she made herself available to return at another date.

Adriana is responsible for recording a conversation with former Tricolor directors Mara Casares and Douglas Schwartzmann regarding the rental of a VIP box at the stadium. In the audio, the directors themselves refer to the space as “clandestine.”

Adriana's defense claims to have been informed about the request and the court decision but says they have not had access to the documents. The lawyers stated they were not formally aware of the measure.

“The defense was surprised by the information that a request for temporary arrest had been made, apparently denied by the competent court, without any confirmation about who the target of the measure would be,” the text says.

‘UOL‘ also found that the episode prompted a reaction from those investigated linked to the club. The arrest request appeared attached to the main inquiry last Friday (6), but without indicating the target's name. In light of this, Mara and Schwartzmann requested access to the details of the request.

In a decision published on Thursday (12), the court denied access and clarified that the request did not concern the two former directors but rather the intermediary Adriana, who is also being investigated in the process.

The VIP box case became the first of three ongoing criminal investigations involving São Paulo to become known. Two other investigations are looking into suspicions of cash payments to former president Júlio Casares and possible irregularities in the social club's contracts. All proceedings are under judicial secrecy.

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