Corinthians board hears just one of Andrés' directors, issues new summonses | OneFootball

The Corinthians Justice Committee held a meeting last Thursday night at Parque São Jorge to hear explanations about suspicious expenses during the last administration of Andrés Sanchez, who is also under investigation by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-SP). However, only one of the three summoned attended the meeting.

Last week, the committee received from the club’s financial department the invoices for the three years of the former president’s term, between 2018 and 2020, and identified R$ 190,000 in questionable expenses. Therefore, the Committee summoned those who, at the time, were responsible for overseeing the use of the cards to provide clarification: Matias Ávila (former finance director), Osmar Basílio (former president of the Fiscal Council), and Guilherme Gonçalves Strenger (former president of Cori).

According to Gazeta Esportiva, only Ávila participated in the meeting, via videoconference, and provided clarifications. The hearing was attended by Leonardo Pantaleão, as representative and president of the Ethics Committee. The other summoned individuals claimed personal commitments and did not attend.

Basílio and Strenger, however, are still expected to be heard by the Justice Committee. The committee will send questions to both through the president of the Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior.

(Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Ag. Corinthians)

New Summons

In addition to the two who were absent from the meeting, two other individuals were summoned by the Justice Committee to provide clarifications on the case. The first is Roberson de Medeiros, known as Dunga, who was vice president of Cori at the time and even took over the committee during Andrés’ term. This happened because Strenger, at a certain point in the administration, took a leave of absence from the position.

Besides Dunga, Haroldo José Dantas da Silva, the current president of the Fiscal Council who, at the time, replaced Basílio (who was absent due to a club project with a university), was also summoned. Both will have to provide explanations to the Justice Committee next Monday.

Former president Andrés Sanchez, on the other hand, has not yet been summoned. This is expected to happen soon. Andrés is expected to be the last to be summoned to provide clarifications, after the Justice Committee gathers the other statements it deems relevant and compiles all the documentation to be investigated.

After the Justice Committee concludes its analysis, the case of Andrés Sanchez will be forwarded 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 session.

Suspicious Expenses

According to Gazeta Esportiva, the Corinthians Justice Committee identified a series of expenses considered suspicious and that would not be related to the commitments of a president.

The committee initially listed 50 expenses, identifying locations and amounts that, when added together, total R$ 190,523.54. Among the main charges separated and reviewed by the Justice Committee are expenses with hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, 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 for the needs of the president. The expenses do not have any receipts attached.

Case Advances at MP-SP

The investigation into the improper use of the corporate card by Andrés Sanchez also advanced at the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-SP). The agency requested from Corinthians, between September 26 and 29, data and explanations about more than 50 suspicious purchases made by the former president between 2018 and 2020, during Andrés’ second term as president of Corinthians.

Cassio Roberto Conserino, the prosecutor in charge of the case, set a ten-day deadline 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 could justify the more than 50 suspicious expenses listed and, on the other hand, which expenses can actually be considered incompatible with the exercise of the presidency of a football club.

It is worth noting that Andrés Sanchez gave a statement 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.

Understanding the Case

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

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

(Photo: Reproduction/YouTube)

The case came to light at the beginning of July, when Andrés admitted to having improperly used the card to pay 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 disciplinary proceedings before the club’s Ethics and Discipline Committee. Fans are demanding punishments and even expulsion of Andrés.

There was also a charge of alleged personal expenses during the administration of Duilio Monteiro Alves. However, the expenses are not necessarily linked to the former president. He does not recognize the invoices and filed a police report at the Sports Intolerance Crimes Police Station (Drade/Dope), requesting that this be included in the ongoing police investigation, which denounces the circulation of false and manipulated documents.

At the beginning of September, the MP asked the courts that Andrés, Duilio, and Augusto Melo be temporarily removed from the Corinthians Deliberative and Advisory Councils during the investigation. So far, however, there has been no statement from the Judiciary.

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

Corinthians reported, about two weeks ago, that it had completed the delivery of confidential documents requested by the MP. The club makes itself available to the authorities, but fears leaks and emphasizes the need to avoid further damaging the institution’s image.

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

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