Committee questions R$190,000 spent by Andrés, summons ex-chiefs | OneFootball

The internal investigation by Corinthians regarding the spending on corporate cards by the club in recent administrations made significant progress this Thursday. The Justice Committee of the Deliberative Council received all invoices from the financial department for the three-year term of former president Andrés Sanchez, between 2018 and 2020. After analysis, the Committee listed about R$ 190,000 in suspicious expenses and summoned the former directors who were responsible for overseeing the card's use at the time to provide explanations.

Matias Ávila (former finance director), Osmar Basílio (former president of the Fiscal Council), and Guilherme Gonçalves Strenger (former president of the Guidance Council [Cori]) are to be heard next Thursday.

Former president Andrés Sanchez, however, has not yet been called. It is expected that this will happen soon. Andrés is likely to be the last summoned to provide explanations after the Justice Committee gathers other relevant testimonies and compiles all the documentation to be investigated.

After the Justice Committee's analysis is completed, Andrés Sanchez's case will go to the club's Ethics and Discipline Committee, chaired by Leonardo Pantaleão. He will be responsible for issuing the opinion that will be sent to the Deliberative Council so that Romeu Tuma Júnior can put the matter to a vote in the plenary.

Suspicious Expenses

According to Gazeta Esportiva, the Corinthians Justice Committee identified a series of expenses considered suspicious and unrelated to a president's commitments.

The body initially listed 50 expenses, identifying locations and amounts that total R$ 190,523.54. Among the main charges separated and reviewed by the CJ are expenses with hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, in furniture and electronics stores, as well as costs with an air taxi company and automotive centers.

The members of the Corinthians Justice Committee believe there is no evidence that these purchases were made for club use or the president's needs. The expenses do not have any attached proof.

(Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Ag. Corinthians)

Case Also Advanced in MP-SP

The investigation into the misuse of the corporate card by Andrés Sanchez also progressed in the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP). The body requested from Corinthians, between September 26 and 29, data and explanations about more than 50 suspicious acquisitions made by the former president between 2018 and 2020, during Andrés's second term as Corinthians president.

Cassio Roberto Conserino, the prosecutor responsible for the case, set a deadline of 10 calendar days for the club's board to send the responses.

The MP's intention, amid the investigation into alleged improper personal expenses, is to understand which events related to the then director's routine can justify the more than 50 suspicious expenses listed and, on the other hand, which expenses can indeed be considered incompatible with the exercise of the presidency of a football club.

It is worth remembering that Andrés Sanchez gave testimony to the MP-SP last Thursday. The meeting took place via videoconference and lasted approximately 15 minutes. Two main topics were addressed by the prosecutor: expenses of about R$ 5,000 at a jewelry store and nearly R$ 7,000 in Fernando de Noronha in 2020.

Understand the Case

The Criminal Investigative Procedure (PIC) was initiated by the Public Prosecutor's Office in mid-June this year. At the time, the body also scheduled hearings with the current president, Osmar Stabile, vice-president Armando Mendonça, and the president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, to understand the functioning of Corinthians' corporate cards.

Initially, the MP's investigation would only cover the periods of Andrés Sanchez's (2018 to 2020) and Duilio Monteiro Alves's (2021 to 2023) administrations. However, after hearing some testimonies, the body decided to also investigate Augusto Melo's term. In addition to alleged embezzlement, possible crimes of fraud, qualified theft, ideological falsehood, and criminal association are also being investigated.

(Photo: Reproduction/YouTube)

The case came to light in early July, when Andrés admitted to having used the card improperly for personal expenses in Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, at the end of his last term in 2020.

Days after the revelation of the expenses, he reimbursed Corinthians with interest and monetary correction. The former president, however, is facing a disciplinary process in the club's Ethics and Discipline Committee. Fans are calling for punishments and even expulsion of Andrés.

There was also an accusation of alleged personal expenses during Duilio Monteiro Alves's administration. However, the expenses are not necessarily linked to the former president. He does not recognize the invoices and filed a crime report at the Delegacy for Repression of Sports Intolerance Crimes (Drade/Dope), requesting the inclusion of this in the ongoing police inquiry, which denounces the circulation of false and manipulated documents.

In early September, the MP requested that Andrés, Duilio, and Augusto Melo be temporarily removed from Corinthians' Deliberative and Guidance Councils during the investigation. So far, however, there has been no manifestation from the Judiciary.

(Photo: Peter Leone/O Fotografico/Gazeta Press)

Corinthians informed, about two weeks ago, that it completed the delivery of confidential documents requested by the MP. The club makes itself available to the authorities but fears leaks and emphasizes the care to not further expose the institution's image.

In addition to the alleged personal expenses, the MP also opened an investigation to determine a possible connection of the club with the criminal faction Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), motivated by the testimony of Romeu Tuma Júnior, president of Corinthians' CD, collected by the body.

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