Ex Barça president Bartomeu defends payments over Neymar case in court

Former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu appeared in court on Thursday to defend himself over some of the cases that surround his management of the football club.

Bartomeu defended that payments to a lawyer in the deal to sign Neymar from Santos, as well as separate payments to the Laietà Sports Club related to the Espai Barça works, were both legal. 

Prosecutors did not ask him about the other case for which he was reported, regarding commissions paid in the signing of Brazilian striker Malcom. The fact he was not asked about this surprised the defense.

The former football chief is accused of continued disloyal administration for having "omitted the duties of diligence and loyalty in the management of assets that were foreign to him," since he authorized the payment of around €13 million in brokerage commissions and other unclear expenses, considered irregular by the prosecutor's office.

The total damage to the club is estimated at around €30 million by the judge.

Apart from Bartomeu, former general manager Òscar Grau, former head of legal services Roman Gómez Ponti, and former vice president Jordi Mestres are also under investigation.

Specifically, the prosecution focuses on three operations: an intermediation for the signing of Brazilian striker Malcom, the million-dollar bill from a lawyer for the ruling in which Barça accepted having committed tax fraud in the signing of Neymar, and the payment of €1.5 million to the Laietà sports club for alleged inconveniences during the Espai Barça works project in the surroundings of the Camp Nou.

In all three, the prosecution believes that Bartomeu acted unfairly in asset management and "usurped" the board's functions and decision-making capacity.

Joan Laporta's board of directors reported the irregularities to the prosecution in January 2022, attaching 108 documents related to the case.