Ex-Barcelona president to be charged over alleged €30m in commissions paid for transfers including Neymar and Antoine Griezmann following complaint by Joan Laporta

According to El Mundo and Cadena SER, Barcelona’s Investigating Court No. 16 has officially summoned ex-president Bartomeu as a suspect after a complaint from Laporta. The allegations centre on irregular payments and inflated commissions linked to high-profile transfers such as Griezmann and Malcom. Bartomeu and his former deputy Oscar Grau are due to testify in late October.

Laporta, who reclaimed the presidency in 2021, filed the complaint after receiving a forensic report from the Kroll detective agency. The findings estimated damages to the club of around €30m (£25m/$33m), citing what Laporta described as a systematic “modus operandi” designed to bypass internal financial controls. The complaint suggests fraudulent contracts and shell companies were used to justify massive payouts. 

Bartomeu has also been directly tied to the Barcagate scandal, where police uncovered WhatsApp messages showing he oversaw a paid social media campaign targeting rivals and even Pep Guardiola. He is further implicated in the Negreira case, with a court hearing last week seeing him deny that Barcelona paid the former refereeing vice-president to influence officials.

Among the operations flagged is the €10m commission allegedly paid in the Malcom transfer, signed after the deal had already been completed. Questions have also been raised over lawyer Jose Angel Gonzalez Franco, who reportedly collected €1.7m in fees connected to the Neymar case and further commissions during Griezmann’s transfer. Payments to Atletico Madrid to smooth Griezmann’s controversial move have also been labelled “illegitimate.”

Bartomeu and Grau will appear before the court on October 24, while González Franco is scheduled for December 4. If the investigation confirms financial misconduct, the former president and his associates could face serious legal consequences. For Barca, Laporta’s complaint signals an attempt to draw a line under past mismanagement while reinforcing his pledge to restore the club’s integrity.