The investigation into FC Barcelona's payments to Enríquez Negreira is extended for six months more

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Negreira case: judge summons Rosell and Bartomeu to testify in June

Judge Alejandra Gil, in charge of the investigation into FC Barcelona's payments to the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) José María Enríquez Negreira, has summoned the club's former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu to testify as defendants next June.

New summons and extension of the investigation

In a resolution to which EFE news agency has had access, the magistrate of the 13th Court of Instruction of Barcelona has decided to extend the investigation for six more months, given that the judicial process, which is already two years old, has not yet exhausted all the necessary diligences.

• To date, the only person under investigation who has appeared in the case has been Enríquez Negreira, who took advantage of his right not to testify, after unsuccessfully claiming that he suffered from dementia in order to be left out of the case.
• On 30 June, Sandro Rosell, Javier Enríquez (Negreira's son), Barça's former director of professional sports, Albert Soler, and the club's former executive director, Óscar Grau, are due to appear before the judge.
• Josep Maria Bartomeu and Ana Paula Rufas, Negreira's partner, are scheduled for 17 June.

Objective of the extension: more evidence and money tracing

The judge has justified the extension of the case, as requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office and LaLiga, given that the process could drag on because the statements of all those under investigation have not yet been made, a mandatory step before the case can be heard.

In addition, the statements could provide evidence that may require further investigation, such as money tracing and the summoning of key witnesses who can corroborate the facts under investigation.

The key to the case: alleged corruption in the CTA

The investigation into the case was opened following a complaint by the Public Prosecutor's Office, which points to possible offences of corruption in the sporting sphere, unfair administration and false documentation. It is being investigated whether FC Barcelona's payments to Negreira and his son, which exceed 7 million euros between 2001 and 2018, were used for an alleged purchase of refereeing favours, which could be evidence of systemic corruption within the CTA when Negreira was its vice-president.

Background and profile of the judge

This order by Alejandra Gil is the first she has issued in relation to the Negreira case. Previously, the magistrate headed the 13th Court of Instruction of Barcelona, where she investigated Josep Maria Bartomeu in the well-known Barçagate case, which pointed out the alleged use of club funds to discredit players and opponents through campaigns on social networks.

She was also one of the judges who investigated members of Carles Puigdemont's government for their role in the preparations for the 1-O referendum.