The São Paulo Deliberative Council meets this Friday (16), starting at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), to vote on the request for impeachment of the club’s president, Julio Casares, 64.
By preliminary decision of the Court, the session will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person participation in the Salão Nobre do Morumbis and also online, in a secret vote. Judge Luciane Cristina Silva Tavares, from the 3rd Civil Court of Butantã, understood that there was no justification for restricting voting to an in-person format, since the club’s statute provides for the possibility of a “semi-presential meeting”. The decision was interpreted by the opposition as a political victory.
São Paulo even filed an appeal against the decision, but had the request denied on Wednesday (14) by judge Mônica Rodrigues Dias de Carvalho, from the 1st Chamber of Private Law of the TJ-SP (Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo).
Among Casares’ opponents there was fear that the vote would be empty, mainly because it took place during the holiday period, when many councilors are out of the city, in addition to the difficulty of traveling for some older members.
In total, 254 councilors are eligible to vote. For Casares to be removed from office, two-thirds of the votes (171) are required, as established in the São Paulo Bylaws. Furthermore, a minimum quorum of 75% of councilors (191) is required to vote for the decision to be validated.
Previously pessimistic about the possibility of reaching this number, the opposition gained confidence in recent days after seeing the president lose a significant portion of his support base. Four of the six groups that formed the coalition that led and supported Casares in the presidency left the administration: Legião, Vanguarda, Semper Tricolor and Participação — the latter, the president’s own ticket.
Members of these groups estimate that they will have 128 votes in favor of removal. Added to the opposition votes, there would be at least 182 councilors inclined to support the impeachment of Julio Casares.
Harry Massis Junior, 80, vice-president of São Paulo and who will take office in the event of the president’s removal, is among those who will vote for impeachment. A lifelong advisor, he has been a member of the club since 1964 and has held several positions on the board. Businessman, he owns the Hotel Massis, in the Consolação region, in São Paulo.
With his own vice president transformed into a political opponent, Casares now has the support of the groups Força São Paulo and Movimento São Paulo. Together, they have 67 advisors. If everyone votes to continue the mandate, there would be a maximum of 187 votes in favor of impeachment, 16 more than necessary to approve the dismissal.
If the required number of votes is reached, Casares is immediately removed, but a general meeting of members must still be called within 30 days to ratify or reject the board members’ decision. In this case, approval occurs by simple majority — there are around 50 thousand club members.
Suspicions
Casares saw an increase in support for his removal due to the progress of Civil Police investigations into the receipt of R$1.5 million in cash, in addition to 35 withdrawals totaling R$11 million made in São Paulo accounts.
“Investigations are ongoing at the DPPC (Citizenship Protection Police Department), in secret from the courts, which is why the details are preserved to guarantee the autonomy of police work,” the Public Security Secretariat said in a statement.
Lawyers Daniel Bialski and Bruno Borragine, who represent Casares, stated that the financial movements highlighted in the Coaf report “have a lawful and legitimate origin, compatible with the evolution of the financial capacity” of the director.
They highlighted that, before assuming the presidency of the club, Casares held senior management positions in the private sector, with high remuneration, and that the origin of the resources will be clarified throughout the investigations, with the presentation of documents and tax declarations.
The club’s president had already suffered previous wear and tear at the end of last year, after the release of audios that indicated an alleged scheme of clandestine ticket sales for a Morumbi box reserved for the president on show days.
At the beginning of the month, São Paulo’s advisory council, made up of former presidents of the club and the deliberative council, gave an opinion against Casares’ impeachment. On the same day of the meeting, however, Civil Police investigations into suspicious financial transactions came to light, which caused the leader to lose support within Morumbi in recent days.
