Corinthians’ involvement in CPI investigation
A complex situation involving sponsorship contracts with betting companies, known as bets, placed Corinthians in the confidential files of the INSS Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI), which investigates irregular discounts on pensions and social security benefits. Although the football club is not suspected of participating in the undue discounts, its name appears in the records due to a million-dollar payment made to one of those investigated.
THE CPIby breaking tax secrecy in series, expanded the possibility of receiving information about people or entities that are not the direct focus of the investigation. Corinthians was mentioned in a confidential report on transactions by the firm Nelson Wilians Advogados, prepared by the Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) at the request of the CPI, to which Folha de S.Paulo had access. The document records a transfer of R$4 million from Corinthians to the law firm.
Financial relationships under suspicion
The authorities conducting the investigations suspect that Nelson Wilians, owner of the law firm, is involved in the scheme of irregular pension deductions. He remains close to businessman Maurício Camisotti, identified as one of the beneficiaries of the discounts. The investigation suggests that the two have financial relationships.
The Corinthians press office and Nelson Wilians’ office claim that the transfer of R$4 million refers to the payment of legal fees. The office represented the digital betting house PixBet in a contractual dispute with the São Paulo club.
Contractual disagreements and terminations
THE PixBet it was one of Corinthians’ sponsors and displayed its brand on the club’s shirt. However, the contract was terminated at the beginning of 2024, after Corinthians signed an agreement with another betting company, Vai de Bet. The new sponsorship, which promised to be the biggest in Brazil, did not materialize in the following months.
Despite the termination, the debt with the previous partner, PixBet, remained. Corinthians agreed to pay R$40 million in installments to the company, in addition to paying Nelson Wilians’ office fees as part of the financial adjustment. These values were published at the time.
CPI and investigations into Nelson Wilians
Nelson Wilians is one of the main targets of INSS CPI. The collegiate requested a report on his transactions from Coaf, broke his banking and tax secrecy and even recommended his preventive detention. However, the decision whether or not to arrest the lawyer is up to the Court. He has already given a statement to the commission, denying any irregularities.
The report on the Sem Desconto operation, the first against INSS fraud, listed atypical financial transactions linked to Wilians, which would total R$4.6 billion. Subsequently, the Federal Police carried out a search and seizure at the lawyer’s residence, where sculptures and works of art were confiscated, including a painting by Di Cavalcanti.
Arrest of those involved and defense of Wilians
Maurício Camisotti was arrested in the same operation that targeted Nelson Wilians. Another detainee was Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes, known as ‘Careca do INSS’, who became a central figure in the scandal of discounts on social security benefits.
Nelson Wilians’ defense, in addition to clarifying that Corinthians’ transfer was related to legal fees, criticized the leak of confidential information. In a note, lawyer Santiago Schunck stated that the lawyer’s data appears to already be in the public domain and that the disclosure of information protected by tax and banking secrecy is serious, violating the principle of confidentiality that should guide any investigation. He reinforced that Wilians is the target of a defamatory campaign based on selective leaks.
The disclosure of information protected by tax and banking secrecy is serious and violates the principle of confidentiality that should guide any investigation.
| Name | Involvement | Current Situation |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Wilians | Suspected of INSS fraud | Denied irregularities in testimony |
| Maurício Camisotti | Beneficiary of irregular discounts | Arrested |
| Antonio Carlos Camilo Antunes | Known as ‘INSS Baldy’ | Arrested |
Fonte Gaming365 – Brasil
