Former Barcelona legal chief blames Bartomeu over improper lawyer payments in Neymar case | OneFootball

According to AS, Roman Gomez Ponti, former head of legal services at FC Barcelona, has attributed the decision to pay €1.7 million to former president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s lawyer to the club’s board during Bartomeu’s tenure.

The payment was linked to a settlement in the Neymar case, which resulted in the first criminal conviction of the club itself.

Gomez Ponti appeared before the judge at Barcelona Investigating Court No. 16 on Thursday as an investigated party, following a complaint from the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors allege that Bartomeu diverted €4 million in commissions and intermediary payments without the club’s knowledge during his presidency between 2014 and 2020.

The complaint stems from a forensic report commissioned by the current Barça board, led by Joan Laporta, and submitted to prosecutors in 2022. The report detailed various alleged accounting irregularities connected to player transfers.

One of the transactions under investigation is the alleged improper payment of €1.7 million to Jose Angel Gonzalez Franco, Bartomeu’s lawyer in the Neymar case.

Under the scanner yet again. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

In 2016, Gonzalez Franco invoiced the club for his involvement in the agreement reached between the Catalans, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.

Under that agreement, Barça admitted two tax offences relating to Neymar’s signing and agreed to pay a €5.5 million fine.

According to prosecutors, the payment to Gonzalez Franco was made without prior approval from Barcelona’s board, which was informed only afterwards.

The prosecution also argues that Gonzalez Franco did not act on behalf of Barcelona during the settlement, as the club’s defence was handled exclusively by lawyer Cristobal Martell.

The prosecution alleges that Gonzalez Franco was fully aware of the conflict of interest between representing Bartomeu personally and protecting the club’s interests as a legal entity.

Gomez Ponti distances himself from the payment decision

According to the report, Gomez Ponti told the court that decisions concerning Gonzalez Franco’s remuneration were not within his remit and were instead the responsibility of the Barcelona board.

He maintained that his role was limited to giving his opinion on the matter.

Bartomeu’s presidential reign remains a black mark on Barça in terms of finances. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

However, he defended the payment itself, as Bartomeu had previously done, arguing that the lawyer’s fee was reasonable because it represented 10% of the amount Barça would save as a result of the settlement.

Gomez Ponti also maintained that Gonzalez Franco had participated in negotiations with the prosecution. In his view, emails exchanged between the parties support that claim.

An insurance company witness

A representative of the insurance broker working with AIG, the company that provided Barcelona with a directors’ liability policy covering legal defence costs, also appeared before the investigating judge as a witness.

According to the witness, Gonzalez Franco’s initial fee for representing Bartomeu in the Neymar case was €200,000, which was paid in May 2017.

The lawyer subsequently requested additional payments for his work on the case, bringing the extra amounts to almost €1 million.

The prosecution alleges that Gonzalez Franco was able to include those additional amounts in the total eventually paid by Barça after the insurer refused to cover the sums he was seeking for his legal services.

The witness’s testimony therefore supports the prosecution’s account that Barcelona ultimately ended up paying for Bartomeu’s personal legal defence in the Neymar case.