The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Federal District and Territories (MPDFT) filed an appeal against the decision of the 7th Criminal Court of Brasília in the case investigating Flamengo striker Bruno Henrique for match-fixing.
The request was presented by the Special Task Force to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) and seeks to reverse the rejection of the fraud complaint.
Prosecutors are also requesting precautionary measures, such as prohibiting the player from participating in any economic or financial activity related to sports betting and setting bail at R$2 million.
Partial decision and new request
On July 25, the court partially accepted the indictment, making Bruno Henrique and his brother, Wander Nunes Pinto Júnior, defendants solely for the crime of match-fixing. Judge Fernando Brandini Barbagalo dismissed the remaining charges, including fraud.
In its appeal, the MPDFT argues that restricting the defendants’ access to the betting market prevents new contracts with companies in the sector and reduces the risk of new illegal practices.
“What Gaeco intended was precisely to remove the accused from the ‘place’ that served as a stage for the practice of the fraud crimes that were imputed to them, in addition to preventing them from contracting betting and similar services, circumstances that, respectively, were the means chosen for the criminal practice and for obtaining undue gain,” the agency stated.
The MPDFT highlighted that the measure only targets the player’s personal contracts, without interfering with sponsorships signed by Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.
Among the points requested in the appeal are:
- Inclusion of the crime of fraud in the complaint;
- Authorization to apply bail of R$2 million to Bruno Henrique and other defendants;
- Suspension of all financial activity related to sports betting;
- Prohibition of new personal contracts with betting houses and suspension of existing ones;
- Blocking of account opening on betting platforms in Brazil;
- Prohibition from placing bets directly or through third parties.
Accusations
The criminal action against Bruno Henrique and his brother is based on Article 200 of Law No. 14,597/2023 (General Sports Law). Therefore, the sentence is between two and six years in prison and a fine.
Prosecutors claim that Wander instructed the striker to provoke a yellow card in the match between Flamengo and Santos, valid for the 2023 Brazilian Championship. After receiving confirmation from the athlete, he allegedly informed family members and a friend, who passed the information to a group of bettors.
“Thus, all the defendants, aware that this was a pre-arranged and planned event, placed bets ‘predicting’ the aforementioned scenario. On the scheduled date, November 1, 2023, during the match between Flamengo and Santos, Bruno Henrique actually kept his word to Wander and forced a yellow card in the final minutes of the match, being punished shortly thereafter with a red card for cursing at the referee,” the prosecutors reported.
Investigations showed that most of the bets came from newly created accounts or old profiles that bet amounts far above normal. More than 95% of bets focused on the player’s yellow card.
“To be more specific, in Betano’s case, bettors directed 98% of their betting volume toward Bruno Henrique receiving a card. This percentage is close to the 95% recorded by GaleraBet and confirms KTO’s findings. Both indicate a clear bias toward the event in question. ”, highlighted the MPDFT.
The case, initially revealed by the Metrópoles website, also involves nine other people. The complaint, filed on June 11, accompanies a Federal Police (PF) indictment request for fraud and fraud in a sports competition.
Sports justice
Furthermore, the 1st Disciplinary Committee of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) will be responsible for determining the player’s future. The trial is expected to take place on September 1st or 8th.
