Former Barcelona president charged of embezzlement by court following Laporta complaint | OneFootball

In a major development, former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been charged by Barcelona’s 16th court following the complaint filed by current president Joan Laporta, reports El Mundo.

Back in 2022, Laporta had accused Bartomeu of taking suspicious commissions during his time as president, thereby meddling with the club’s transfer dealings and funds.

The investigation has been going on for two years, and the court has now summoned Bartomeu on October 24.

What are the crimes attributed to Barteomeu?

The report suggests Bartomeu has been accused of three major crimes: Dishonest administration, embezzlement, and accounting manipulation.

Among the many complaints filed by Laporta are commissions of up to 33% were detected through shell companies.

Laporta has also accused Bartomeu of charging 10% commission in the Malcom deal, through a contract signed after the transfer.

Josep Maria Bartomeu is summoned by the court yet again. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Bartomeu had also allegedly made a payment of €1.7 million to lawyer Gonzalez Franco to settle the Neymar case.

Another payment was allegedly made to Atletico Madrid, worth €15 million, to prevent them from going to court after Barça negotiated with Griezmann while he was under contract.

Overall, Laporta estimates that these fraudulent transactions cost Barcelona a sum of around €30 million, which is quite steep considering the club’s current financial situation.

This is not the first time Bartomeu has found himself in soup, as his administration at Barcelona was riddled with such controversies and fraud.

He was notably involved in the Negreira case, which was alleged against Barcelona and has been called in for a hearing in the past for his sketchy financial decisions during his time as Barcelona’s top boss.