CNN
—
FC Barcelona was charged on Friday by the Barcelona provincial prosecutor’s workplace with “continued corruption between people within the sports activities subject” along with different fees in relation to an alleged fee scandal which has rocked Spanish soccer.
Former FCB presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, former membership CEO Oscar Grau, former membership director {of professional} sports activities Albert Soler and José María Enríquez Negreira – a former main refereeing official in Spain – have additionally been charged.
In a written grievance from the Barcelona Prosecutor’s Workplace despatched to CNN, Barça and the opposite accused have additionally been charged with “the crime of continued false administration and the crime of continued falsification of business paperwork.”
The costs have been introduced to the No. 1 Justice of the Peace’s court docket in Barcelona.
An FCB supply informed CNN that the membership didn’t have an official assertion, although its first response was that the costs have been to be anticipated after current occasions, however that the report was an “completely preliminary investigative speculation” and that the membership would help the investigation in any manner attainable. The supply additionally strongly denied that the membership had at any time bribed a referee or tried to affect refereeing choices.
Spanish lawyer Jose Maria Fuster Fabra confirmed to CNN that he’s representing Bartomeu on this case. “We’re getting ready the protection and we don’t assume this case will go to trial,” he stated, declining to make additional statements.
CNN has reached out to Enriquez Negreira’s firm for remark.
CNN was unable to contact Rosell, Grau and Soler for remark.
In keeping with the Prosecutor’s Workplace, the accused held positions of energy within the membership and have been conscious of funds which have been invoiced yearly from January 2011 till June 2018 to 2 corporations that Enríquez Negreira – who was serving as a CTA vice chairman from 1993 to 2018 – based, which “acted on behalf and in direct profit to Barcelona.”
The CTA is the governing physique accountable for deciding which referees and assistants officiate league and nationwide aggressive matches in Spain.
The membership is accused of – by means of each Rosell and Bartomeu – coming to a “strictly confidential verbal settlement” with Enríquez Negreira with the purpose to “produce actions which tended to favor Barcelona within the type of refereeing choices.”
“Subsequently, the businesses of the accused, [Nisdal SCP] and [Dasnil 95 SL], produced invoices which have been introduced for fee to FCB with out having to provide any providers of actual technical stories,” the report stated.
The report from the Barcelona’s Prosecutor’s Workplace outlines that the 2 corporations linked to Enríquez Negreira have been based by him and he held 100% and 95% of the shares in Dasnil 95 and Nisdal respectively.
In keeping with the report, an audit was began by the tax authorities in 2019 into Enríquez Negreira’s corporations wherein they requested Barcelona to offer copies of invoices and technique of fee. As a result of Barcelona was not capable of fulfill the authorities’ questions, the membership incurred a tax penalty and an investigation was later opened into Enríquez Negreira and his corporations for the time interval of 2016 to 2019.
The investigation found that the membership paid his two corporations a complete of $3,175,589.21 (€2,971,673.01) between these years, principally below the pretense of “evaluation of technical movies.” After Enríquez Negreira was relieved of his vice presidency on the CTA in 2018, the funds from Barcelona stopped.
In February 2019, Enríquez Negreira despatched a fax directed in direction of Bartomeu “recriminating him for ending the long-lasting relationship, insisting {that a} resolution be discovered for each events and warning him of the implications of not doing so,” in keeping with the report.
“I don’t have the need to offer consideration to the entire irregularities I’ve identified and lived first-hand with anybody on the Membership, however you might be forcing me to take action in the event you don’t rethink your choice and full the settlement we needed to proceed utilizing my providers till the top of my presidential mandate,” Enríquez Negreira wrote.
In keeping with the report, the entire quantity Barça paid Enríquez Negreira’s corporations from 2001 to 2018 throughout his vice-presidency within the CTA surpassed $7.8 million (€7.3 million).
“This resulted in a considerable remuneration, unexpected by the statutes of the Membership nor which was permitted by the Basic Meeting, which ought to have been given its nature. Definitively, stated funds neither had authorized or statutory help in any respect.”
In February, Barcelona stated {that a} “thorough and impartial investigation” was underway.
European soccer governing physique UEFA declined to touch upon whether or not it’s investigating the membership. Nonetheless, in a press convention earlier in March, Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) secretary normal Andreu Camps stated the group had despatched all of its data regarding the case to UEFA’s integrity unit.
CNN has reached out to FIFA for remark.