Barcelona ex-president Bartomeu and adviser released by court

Mar 03, 2021 06:00 am

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his former adviser Jaume Masferrer were released yesterday, after appearing before a judge investigating last year's "Barcagate" scandal, a Spanish court said.

The two men "exercised their right not to speak", and the judge granted them conditional release while the investigation continues, the Barcelona court said in a statement.

The court said the judge had sought to question them as part of an investigation opened in May 2020 into the suspected crimes of false administration and business corruption.

Two other club officials also detained as part of the operation which involved a search of Barcelona's stadium - the club's current chief executive Oscar Grau and head of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti - were released late on Monday.

The "Barcagate" scandal involves allegations that the club covered up payments made to a company called I3 Ventures, hired to boost the image of the club on social media. - AFP