Ethics panel reschedules Andrés Sanchez hearing on Corinthians card | OneFootball

The Corinthians Ethics and Discipline Committee has rescheduled the hearing of former president Andrés Sanchez and determined that the proceeding should be rescheduled, preferably within seven days from the acknowledgment of the order. Central do Timão has learned that the new date is expected to be set for next Thursday (26th), a deadline considered sufficient for the defense to obtain any necessary judicial authorization for the former president’s participation.

The decision is detailed in an order signed by the president of the Ethics Committee, Leonardo Pantaleão, this Wednesday (18th), as part of the disciplinary process investigating expenses made with the club’s corporate card during Andrés Sanchez’s administration, between 2018 and 2020. In the document, Pantaleão instructs the Secretariat of the Deliberative Council to immediately arrange the hearing, which will be held via videoconference, and to notify the defense of the full content of the decision.

Photo: © Daniel Augusto Jr. / Ag. Corinthians

Defense did not prove legal impediment, says order

In the order, Pantaleão states that the defense was asked to clarify whether it had taken judicial measures to enable Andrés’s participation in the previously scheduled hearing, but did not provide objective proof of any impediment.

According to the document, the lawyers only informed that they chose to request the revocation of the precautionary measures imposed by the court, without demonstrating that a specific request had been made to allow the defendant’s attendance at the hearing.

“Thus, the central premise already outlined in the records remains intact, that is, there is no concrete demonstration of legal impediment to holding the hearing, a circumstance that rules out any intention to suspend or halt the proceedings,” reads an excerpt from the order.

The Committee also emphasizes that any judicial confidentiality would not prevent the submission of documents proving the existence of requests made to the Judiciary, even if not in full content.

The initially scheduled hearing was not held after the defense justified Andrés Sanchez’s absence last Monday (16th). The lawyers argued that precautionary measures imposed by the court prevent the former president from having contact with club officials and that his participation in the proceeding could be interpreted as a violation of the current judicial decision.

In the order, however, the Committee states that the new hearing was granted as an additional guarantee of the right to defense, since the former president had already been heard previously by the Justice Committee and had agreed to the use of that testimony in the disciplinary process. Even so, the Committee’s president decided to provide the opportunity for a new hearing and emphasized that this measure cannot be used as grounds for halting the proceedings.

Committee maintains hearing even without defense’s proof

The decision also establishes that the defense may, up to the date of the hearing, submit to the records any proof of judicial measures taken to enable Andrés’s participation. However, the absence of such proof will not prevent the proceeding from taking place.

The document also states that the former president may indicate up to three witnesses, who must appear regardless of summons, according to the Committee’s Internal Regulations. The hearing is part of the ongoing disciplinary process in the Ethics and Discipline Committee of the Corinthians Deliberative Council and is part of the instruction phase, during which testimonies are collected and evidence is produced before judgment.

The Ethics Committee is investigating 49 expenses recorded on the club’s corporate card between 2018 and 2020, with a total amount exceeding R$ 180,000. As part of the procedure, Andrés Sanchez was ordered to provide individualized explanations for each transaction, accompanied by documentation proving any institutional link to the expenses or possible reimbursement to the club’s coffers.

The former president was also charged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office with misappropriation of Corinthians funds, as well as money laundering and tax crimes. The last two charges, however, were dismissed by the court in a decision issued last Wednesday (11th). The prosecutor responsible for the case appealed to the Prosecutor’s Office, which still needs to review the request.

See more:

Corinthians News

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