Barcelona hands ‘illicit’ actions of ex board to prosecutors

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has handed over a forensic report to local prosecutors with what it said were findings of poor management and illegal activities by former president Josep Bartomeu and his board of directors.

The study by the agency Kroll “revealed a series of operations of considerable economic irrationality and, in short, unjustified payments, falsely justified payments or payments of disproportionate amounts,” Barcelona said on Tuesday.

It said the findings don’t rule out “cases of unjust enrichment that require further investigation.”

“When the administration of a social entity presents such overwhelming suggestions of mismanagement, the criminal justice system is called upon to investigate and clarify any possible illicit diversions, abuses or enrichments.”

The forensic report was conducted after findings from a due-diligence study by Deloitte “revealed the existence of operations of dubious financial sense in specific areas of expenditure which required more in-depth analysis.”

Bartomeu and his board resigned in 2020 amid the president’s fallout with superstar Lionel Messi, who had to leave the club at the end of last season because of its financial struggles.

Bartomeu denied any wrongdoing at other times Laporta accused him of irregularities.

He was detained last year after police raided Barcelona’s headquarters in a search and seizure operation investigating his administration. Bartomeu was set free after spending a night in jail.

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