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A Barcelona court is investigating Barça president Joan Laporta following a complaint filed by a family accusing him of defrauding them of a total of 4.7 million euros after investing part of the money they won in the lottery in a company linked to him .
According to the plaintiffs’ complaint – a married couple and their daughter – the alleged scam dates back to 2014 , when they won a 34 million euro Primitiva lottery prize and, when they went to buy a high-end car, the dealership’s salesman, also under investigation, suggested they invest in companies linked to Laporta.
The family, which claims to have been advised by Laporta during the investment process, invested a total of €2.4 million in CSSB Limited for a two-year period at 6% annual interest, the complaint adds. The plaintiffs add that, given their lack of financial knowledge, they trusted Joan Laporta, who was also a public figure and invited them to the Camp Nou box on more than one occasion .
After the specified period, the plaintiffs add, they did not receive the amount agreed upon in the contract, so they filed a claim, but received no response. The allegedly defrauded family attached documentation proving that, between August 2016 and August 2018, the defendants received €4.7 million from investments made through CSSB.
Legal sources have specified that four complaints have already been filed in Barcelona courts for alleged investment fraud in CSSB Limited , a company based in Hong Kong, although this is the first case that has led to Laporta being declared a suspect.
Laporta hopes the judge will dismiss the complaint.
Laporta has issued a personal statement in which he hopes the judge will dismiss the lawsuit filed by the family accusing him of defrauding them of a total of 4.7 million euros. In the statement, the lawyer stated that he had “no involvement whatsoever in the investment promoted by the plaintiffs” and clarified that “under no circumstances” did the Laporta & Arbós law firm convince them “to use this office to promote the investment, as it was already underway.”
The Case
Laporta arrived at the City of Justice in Barcelona, wearing a suit and sunglasses, before 9:00 a.m. Surrounded by a cloud of journalists and escorted by two plainclothes Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police officers) , he entered the building to appear before the judge for approximately 45 minutes.
In his statement, he responded to all parties and held Joan Olivé —the club’s former general manager—responsible for the management of CSSB Limited. This company was chosen by the plaintiff family to invest a total of €2.4 million—plus another €300,000 in another company, Core Store—for a three-year period at 6% annual interest, according to the complaint.
A Lamborghini
Specifically, Laporta was a joint director of the company Core Store, which held a 57% stake in CSSB Limited, although he shifted the blame onto Olivé during his appearance before the judge.
According to the plaintiffs’ complaint, the alleged scam dates back to 2014, when they won the lottery and pocketed up to €34 million in the Primitiva lottery. They then went to a high-end car dealership in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona) to buy a luxury vehicle—a Lamborghini—as a gift for their winnings. The dealer’s salesman, also under investigation, suggested they invest in companies linked to Laporta . He also made contact through his wife, a banking advisor.
According to the private prosecution, the FC Barcelona president appeared in brochures promoting business investments offering interest rates for three years at 6%. A lawyer from his firm handled several legal matters for them.
Five contracts for 4.7 million
The family adds that, given their lack of financial knowledge, they relied on the investment because of Laporta’s image, according to their version . In total, five contracts worth €4.7 million were signed. After the deadline, the plaintiffs add, they did not receive the amount agreed upon in the contract and pursued a claim without receiving any response.
For his part, the Barça president has denied even knowing the complaining family and has consistently distanced himself from direct management of the company.
In this regard, Laporta’s lawyer, Jordi Pujante , stressed upon leaving the courts that this complaint had already been dismissed on the previous occasion and that his client had no connection to this alleged fraud because what happened “were various investments in business projects that did not turn out” as they had hoped.
A “campaign” against him
The FC Barcelona president’s lawyer has reiterated that Laporta did not sign any contract and that the investigations conducted show he has not committed any crime. He also hopes to request the dismissal of the case soon because Laporta has no connection to a complaint in which he claims his name appears “to give importance to an issue that has no importance or to campaign against him.”
This Monday, the owner of the luxury car dealership where the plaintiffs went, who recommended they invest in CSSB Limited, and his then-partner, a Bankinter advisor, also testified as suspects. Both admitted to being the ones who put the victims in contact with CSSB Limited.
Comas explained that both advised the affected parties to invest in CSSB Limited because “there were well-known people and it couldn’t go wrong in any way” and that, in fact, they themselves invested €75,000, of which they have recovered 65 %.
Finally, the statement laments that “these biased and untrue reports are yet another episode of media lynching aimed at attacking the prestige, image, and reputation of Joan Laporta.” And, in this regard, it maintains that “once again, the truth will prevail over infamy.”
