A match-fixing case is the subject of a request from the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) to the Santa Catarina Civil Police for expedited proceedings. The investigation is looking into suspected match-fixing in the 2018 Santa Catarina World Cup involving six individuals from Blumenau Esporte Clube.
The case has been dragging on for more than six years, and was also the subject of a habeas corpus request by the defense of businessman Sergio Alan Garcia Buettgen.
At the time, the allegation was that the timeframe was excessive, and the businessman requested that the investigation be closed. Sergio Buettgen is the target of an investigation into alleged match-fixing in soccer matches.
On that occasion, involving Blumenau Esporte Clube, during the 2018 edition of the Santa Catarina Cup. He remains free while the case remains under investigation.
Blumenau players are targets of investigation for match-fixing
At the time, Justice Rogério Schietti Cruz, the reporting judge on the case, decided to deny the request. However, he acknowledged the unusual length of the proceedings and ordered that their conclusion be expedited.
At the time, the defense argued that the investigation, which began in November 2018, had taken a long time without progress and that the slow pace constituted unlawful constraint.
However, in his ruling, Schietti asserts that there are no signs of inaction or negligence on the part of the police authorities or the Public Prosecutor’s Office. According to him, the case involves multiple suspects located in different states of the country, and that, over the years, numerous investigations have been carried out.
According to him, some of them are technical and complex in nature. The rapporteur also mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the smooth progress of the process, contributing to its slowness.
Despite this, the minister still considers the investigation to be lengthy. He demands attention from the competent authorities and, therefore, expressly recommends that the Civil Police take steps to expedite the investigation.
