Iniesta accused of fraud by Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office | OneFootball

Former midfielder of the Spanish national team and Barcelona, Andrés Iniesta is being investigated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Peru for suspected fraud. The player is accused of causing losses to several local businessmen, amounting to 600 thousand dollars (about 3.2 million reais).

The accusations stem from a complaint made by businessmen against Never Say Never (NSN) Barcelona and its subsidiary, NSN South America — companies co-founded by the player with the aim of promoting entertainment projects in the region.

According to the complaint, the investors had provided resources for various events, such as shows and football matches, that did not take place. The invested amount was not returned to the businessmen.

Businessman Emilio Lozano was one of those affected and stated that of six planned events, only one took place. After that, the company declared bankruptcy and allegedly disappeared with the investors' money. “They never took responsibility for anything, despite promising,” said Emilio.

The Peruvian Public Prosecutor's Office claims that Iniesta's reputation and global image were used to gather investors, with the premise that the money would be used to realize major events, which never happened.

In a statement, the company denied the accusations and lamented the “ill-intentioned” dissemination of the information, which sought to take advantage of the image of a public figure. NSN claims to trust the Peruvian justice system and will take appropriate measures in defense of its work and honor.

Iniesta's defense claims that the former player had no direct involvement in the company's operations in Peru. According to his representatives, he was also a victim of poor local management and was never involved in the financial administration of the company.

The investigation is still ongoing and may result in a criminal case. Andrés Iniesta has not commented on the accusations.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.