Joan Laporta had been indicted for bribery, sports corruption, unfair administration, and forgery by Judge Joaquin, who is involved in the Caso Negreira case.
Joan Laporta had failed to respond to the latest charges, which are coming at the end of the international break and nine days before hosting Real Madrid in the El-Clasico on October 28, 2023.
It was revealed that total payments of $7.7 million were made by Barcelona to the former Vice President of the Technical Committee of Referees, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, and his son, Javier Enriquez Romero, for a period of 18 years.
It was recommended by the judge that the charge of continued corruption in sports should be changed to one of bribery, as Enriquez Negreira was at that time a public office holder.
In addition, two former Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rossell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, were also charged with bribery, sports corruption, unfair administration, and forgery.
Also, all the members of the board of directors of Barcelona during the 18-year period were also indicted for the same charges.
The UEFA opened its own set of investigations after Barcelona were also charged with continuing corruption in the sports field.
The European governing body had decided that the Spanish giant would be allowed to complete the 2023–24 Champions League season.
However, UEFA has the right to punish the football team in subsequent years if there is new evidence against the club.
However, the Barcelona President denied that his football club committed any wrongdoing, stating that the payment was made for consultation work.
Who is Joan Laporta?
The current Barcelona President was born on June 29, 1962, and he is currently 61 years old.
This is his second tenure at Barcelona. His first tenure was from June 15, 2003, to June 30, 2010. Laporta’s second tenure started on March 7, 2021.
During Laporta’s first tenure as Barcelona president, the club won six titles in 2009. Also, he was able to sign world-class players like Ronaldinho.
His first tenure was marred by violence from the Boixos Nois and threats from the Ultras group.
A police investigation reveals that the Ultras group planned on kidnapping him. After much threat from the fans, Barcelona finally won La Liga titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
During that period, Barcelona inherited a massive debt from the previous president, but it started to cut back after major successes on the pitch.
He is currently married to Constanza Echevarria, with three children (Pol, Guillem, and Jan).
The Barcelona President studied law and is a graduate of the University of Barcelona. Joan served as an MP in the Parliament of Catalonia between 2010 and 2012.
