ex-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu arrested
Former Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has been arrested as police search has been issued as part of the investigation into ‘Barcagate’
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Cadena SER revealed the information that many members of the former Barca board lead by Bartomeu had been initially taken into custody with the Spanish police later raiding their offices.
The arrest is being reported as a result of the ongoing investigation of ‘Barcagate’ and the members have been made to hand over all relevant documents partaking in the case.
Alongside the former president, Barca CEO Oscar Grau, a former presidential advisor, Jaume Masferrer, and legal head Roman Gomez Ponti have all been taken into custody.
The police were seen raiding the Camp Nou offices followed by which they searched Bartomeu’s private residence regarding the same matter.
The Barcagate scandal is a long-lasting case against Bartomeu where reports accused the president and his administration of paying a PR company to run their online image on behalf of the club.
The company in question, I3, were allegedly paid by the administration to clear up Bartomeu’s public image as the Spaniard was under a lot of heat from the fan base who wanted him to resign for a very long time. Bartomeu was also accused of damage the image and reputation of fan-favorite club legends like Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandez, and Lionel Messi.
Of course, the company and administration were quick to distance themselves from these claims but the local police continued their investigation. The police were initially seen raiding the offices in mid of 2020 but have not stopped their investigation to find the guilty party.
Bartomeu voluntarily resigned from his role in October 2020 and with the new president to be elected on March 7th, Barca fans are just hoping that one of the three presidential candidates, Victor Font, Joan Laporta, or Toni Freixa will mark the end of this disheartening Barca era under Bartomeu.
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