Police on Monday made several arrests in an operation for alleged economic crimes against FC Barcelona that, according to some media, it would affect the former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whose replacement must be elected in six days.
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“We are currently developing a device with agents in the area of economic crimes,” said a police spokesman, without giving details about the purpose of the operation, which, according to numerous Spanish newspapers, was related to the “Barçagate” scandal.
“They are making arrests,” he added, without specifying the number or identity of those arrested.
Spanish radio Be string and other local media say he was arrested in the operation Josep María Bartomeu, Óscar Grau, Romanian Gómez Ponti Yes Jaume Masferrer. He is the former president, the executive director of FC Barcelona and the person in charge of legal services and the presidential office.
The press also links the operation to the “Barçagate” scandal that broke out a year ago, in February 2020, when Be string revealed a defamation campaign against staff by a company hired by the club.
The council denied taking over the company’s services to slander the figures Barcelona in social networks, but to improve the image of the then president Bartomeu.
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The investigation of this source showed that Barça paid the company one million euros in six different invoices I3 Ventures, which he disassociated after the scandal.
“Barça have never hired anyone to discredit anyone. It is true that at the end of 2017, Barça hired a monitoring service for different areas of the club on social networks “, it was defended then Bartomeu.
The police operation takes place six days before the club’s planned presidential election, in which members (club-fan owners) must choose between Joan Laporta, former President between 2003 and 2010, Victor Font Yes Toni Freixa.
Tough message against Bartholomew
After the scandal that took place early this morning, the Spanish journalist Jota Jordi expressed that a Bartomeu He must be investigated for all the damage he has done to the Catalan club under his leadership.
” To be investigated to the end for leaving the club as they left it, for damaging the image of Barça and its members and for trying to destroy the club. And that no one is thinking of mixing Barça with Bartomeu. Bartomeu is not from Barça “, wrote the reporter from The beach bar and partner of Barcelona and Twitter.