Spain: Negreira, the former referee, remains silent in the corruption investigation targeting Barça

Former number two in Spanish arbitration José María Enríquez Negreira chose to remain silent during his appearance in court on Tuesday in connection with the alleged corruption scandal involving FC Barcelona.

Judicial sources told AFP that the 78-year-old exercised his right not to testify during a brief appearance before the Barcelona criminal court, after being summoned by investigating judge Joaquin Aguirre.

Mr. Negreira's first summons was scheduled for February, but it was postponed twice at the request of his defense, which claimed that he was unable to testify due to a dementia problem.

The Catalan club, its current president Joan Laporta, and his two predecessors, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, were indicted in this case for alleged payments to Negreira's companies between 2001 and 2018, the year the latter left his post as manager. number 2 in Spanish arbitration.

Spanish justice is seeking to know whether these payments, estimated at more than seven million euros, could have been used to influence the competition in one way or another, which Barça denies, affirming that they correspond to refereeing reports.