Leila Pereira wins appeal to prosecute Dudu for defamation

The Minas Gerais Court of Justice (TJMG) has unanimously ruled to allow a criminal complaint filed by Palmeiras president Leila Pereira against football player Dudu to proceed. The decision by the 9th Criminal Chamber overturns a previous ruling by the 8th Criminal Court of Belo Horizonte, which had initially rejected the case for lack of cause.

Dudu, currently an attacker for Atlético-MG, faces charges of defamation and injury following social media posts directed at Pereira. The court analyzed evidence including comments made on Instagram, where the player used the acronym “VTNC” and referred to Pereira using terms such as “false,” “frivolous,” and “dangerous.” While the player argued the acronym stood for “Vim Trabalhar No Cruzeiro,” the court determined there are sufficient elements to proceed with the criminal action in the first instance.

This legal dispute follows Dudu's departure from Palmeiras. The player had previously attempted to file a criminal complaint against Pereira, but those efforts were rejected by both first and second instances.