Joan Laporta, the outgoing president of FC Barcelona and current candidate for the club’s presidency, faces the “elephant in the room”: a lawsuit filed by him and several board members in the National Court of Justice (Spain’s national court). el cycleaccusing him and key executives of money laundering, improper commissions, overseas financial transactions and tax fraud.
“It’s all opaque, questionable and nonsense,” Laporta said bluntly, dismissing the accusations as part of a long-term effort to undermine him and his candidacy.
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The indictment names Laporta, his brother Xavier, five board members and three club executives, focusing on contracts with Barca Vision, New Era Visionary Group, Limak, Nike and VIP seating arrangements. According to the lawsuit, the transactions concealed illegal commissions channeled through companies in Spain, Cyprus, Croatia, Estonia and Dubai.
The lawsuit comes as Laporta becomes the favorite to win the club’s chairmanship again. The former president said the accusations were simply an attempt to destabilize his candidacy and, by extension, the club itself.
“Someone has the intention to harm us. We cannot publish all contracts. There are limits to transparency, which are determined by the club’s strategy. Some documents may hurt Barca or contain confidentiality clauses. Within these limits, we are as transparent as possible. This is normal in business,” Laporta defended the club’s approach.
Barcelona themselves issued a statement calling the claims “unbelievable and divorced from reality” and warned that legal action could be taken against the members who filed the lawsuit and any media reporting them as fact.