By Six days ahead of the club’s presidential elections, police have raided the offices of Football Club Barcelona, AFP reported.
Several persons including former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, were arrested during the operation, on Monday.
Bartomeu, who resigned in October following months of controversy and heavy criticisms, was apprehended alongside CEO Oscar Grau and the club’s head of legal services, according to Spainish radio Cadena Ser.
But a Catalan regional police spokesman said “arrests are taking place” but refused to confirm names, adding that the operation was being run by officers from the financial crimes unit.
The AFP quoted the spokesman as saying, “We are in the process of carrying out an operation right now with agents of the financial crimes unit.”
According to reports in the Spanish media, the operation is linked to last year’s investigation into the ‘BarcaGate’ scandal, which saw the club deny hiring a company to criticise current and former players on social media to improve the image of the then-president Bartomeu.
On Sunday, the club members is expected to elect a new president between the final trio of Joan Laporta, Toni Freixa and Victor Font.
