The so-called Negreira case continues to add new episodes. This Wednesday morning, it became known that the current president of Barça, Joan Laporta, has been accused by the investigating judge 1 of Barcelona, ??Joaquín Aguirre, who considers that the payments made by the top Blaugrana leader during his first term to José María Enríquez Negreira are not prescribed.
The investigator of the case understands that Laporta could have committed a crime of continuous bribery and therefore the period of prescription would encompass his first period at the head of the entity between 2008 and 2010. “The attributable events extend until the month of July 2008, so which covers the previous FC Barcelona board” chaired by Joan Laporta, he writes. The judge starts counting ten years ago from the last invoice paid by Barça to Negreira, which was on July 17, 2018.
Laporta’s accusation is added to the other two former presidents of the club who appear in the case, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu. And the latter, in statements to La Vanguardia, has requested joint action with Rosell and Laporta on the Negreira case.
“Given the new situation of the Negreira case, it would be good if, finally, the club could agree on a joint and visible action by the three presidents now investigated in the investigation phase,” Bartomeu began.
“The size and media coverage makes it necessary, for the benefit of the honor, image and defense of Barça’s values, to show unity and resistance that, in addition to giving a message of unity, also reinforces the strength of our partners. or sympathizers,” he continued.
“It was already attempted at the beginning of this procedure and recently former president Sandro Rosell has also called for us to meet to leave behind disputes that never do any good for our club,” concluded the former Blaugrana leader between 2014 and 2020.
One of the first reactions within Barça upon learning of Joan Laporta’s accusation was that of Eduard Romeu, vice president of the economic area. He has admitted that the consequences of the Negreira case do not help the club financially, although he has pointed out that he does not foresee “a negative impact” on the relationships that the club has with investors.