Joan Laporta and his Board from 2003 to 2010, criminally exonerated in the 'Negreira case'

The past week the Audience of Barcelona announced the decision of the judge of the 'case Negreira' to revoke a crime of cohecho to the club and to the directors investigated by the payments to the exvicepresidente of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA). Of this way, the Audience gives the reason to the Fiscalía Anticorrupción and to the defences and cancels the imputación of cohecho in the case, which himself that follows keeping by the moment other crimes, between which finds the one of sportive corruption.

In that moment informed that the investigation would continue against the rest of investigated, between which find the ex Barcelona presidents, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and also Joan Laporta, by his first stage at the head of the Barcelona club. But this Friday has arrived a new positive news afterwards that the section 21 of the Audience of Barcelona notified that they estimate the resources of Appeal interposed against the decision of the Court of Instruction number 1 of Barcelona of 18 October 2023 to attribute the condition of investigated to the president Laporta.

New positive novelties for Joan Laporta and for the Barça

The communiqué indicates that "the president Joan Laporta and all those people that were members of the managerial board of the Barcelona club during his mandate comprised between 15 June 2003 and on 30 June 2010 or that were integrated in the organisation chart of the club and had an effective responsibility in the taking of the decision to effect the payments" have remained exonerated of penal responsibility.

This last pronouncement complements the decision of the past week to exclude the hypothesis instructor of the cohecho to the not being able to consider to Enríquez Negreira like civil servant, by what the current president of the Barça and the members of his directive during the period 2003-2010 will remain excluded of any penal responsibility. The car of the section 21 of the Audience of Barcelona signals that "the mandate of the Mr. Laporta, like director of the FC Barcelona, took place between 15 June and on 30 June 2010, being this day the last in which it exerted his charge the one who will determine the start of the computation of the term prescriptivo", explains.

The resources of appeal were interposed by the Fiscal Ministry, Albert Soler, the FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Joan Laporta when considering that in no case it could have crime of cohecho to the not being Enríquez Negreira civil servant of the state by his charge like vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees of 1994 to 2018. It is necessary to remember that the Real Madrid was one of which opuso to the admission of the quoted resource of appeal, as well as LaLiga, but have not been able to advance further of this initial idea.