Joan Laporta summoned by Barcelona court over alleged €91,500 fraud case – report | OneFootball

A fresh report published by AS has brought renewed legal scrutiny to the upper leadership of Barcelona. 

According to the outlet, club president Joan Laporta and vice president Rafa Yuste have been formally charged in connection with an alleged fraud case dating back to 2016, involving a sum of €91,500.

The matter is currently being handled by the Court of Instruction number 22 of Barcelona, which has summoned Laporta and Yuste to testify as suspects on January 16. 

They are not alone in the proceedings. Former Barcelona directors Xavier Sala i Martin and Joan Oliver have also been called to appear before the court.

What’s the matter?

Court documents accessed by EFE confirm that the lawsuit has been formally admitted. 

The case centres on alleged irregularities linked to two companies, namely, Core Store, based in Spain, and CSSB Limited, both of which were connected to the accused individuals at the time the events took place.

Joan Laporta is under the microscope once again. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The origins of the case date back to mid-2016, when the complainant reportedly invested €50,000 in the form of a loan through a private banking intermediary. 

The loan carried an interest rate of 6% and was directed towards Core Store, a company that had presented a plan focused on supporting Reus Deportivo in its ambition to climb from Segunda División B to the Segunda División.

In addition to the loan, the investor also spent a further €54,000 to acquire shares in CSSB Limited. 

The purpose of that investment was reportedly the development of a football training academy in China, inspired by Barcelona’s renowned youth model, La Masia.

Importantly, this is not an isolated legal matter involving Laporta. 

The report notes that this is now the third open case in which the Barcelona president is under investigation for alleged fraud linked to his involvement with Core Store and CSSB Limited.