West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has delayed his appearance in front of the Brazilian senate, as he believes his appearance could harm his defence in his case with the English FA.
That’s according to Estadão, relayed by ES Brasil, who explain how Paquetá has been able to delay giving his testimony to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the Manipulation of Gams and Sports Betting.
The West Ham star was scheduled to give his testimony to the senate this week but reports in Brazil explained that he and his legal team had successfully delayed it until December.
Estadão now explain how and why they’ve been successful, reporting that this delay is the second time Paquetá’s lawyers have tried to postpone his appearance.
The first of those appeals was denied by the CPI but the West Ham man’s legal team have now argued that because the midfielder is focused on preparing his defence for the English FA, with the hearing scheduled for March 2025.
Thus, his team argue that it puts him in a compromised position if he appears in front of the CPI and lead to added media coverage and speculation.
“In these conditions, we understand that his participation in a deposition before the CPI on the scheduled date could compromise the full exercise of his right to defense, generating the risk of inconsistent decisions and unnecessary media speculation,” their argument stated.
This was accepted by the CPI, who have delayed any appearance until December for the time being.
Paquetá had only been invited, not summoned, to give a deposition to them as the national Senate in Brazil investigate allegations and suspicions of match-fixing in Brazilian football, specifically focusing on the sports betting market.
They want answers from him, particularly given the charges raised against the West Ham man by the English FA.
His uncle, Bruno Tolentino, was also summoned to testify but secured a ‘habeas corpus’, granted by Minister Nunes Marques, that will allow him to remain silent during the entire hearing.
Whether that is an approach the West Ham star tries in future remains to be seen, with his lawyers working hard to delay any appearance in front of the CPI while the case in England continues to be investigated.
