Barcelona president releases statement amid fraud claims

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has issued a formal statement denying allegations of fraud linked to his involvement with CF Reus Deportiu and its majority shareholder, CCSB Limited, as a long-running legal dispute resurfaced amid the build-up to the Blaugrana's presidential elections, scheduled for March 2026. 

The case centres on CCSB Limited, a Hong Kong–based investment company that became the majority shareholder of Reus in 2016, acquiring a reported 57% of the club’s shares as part of a takeover aimed at stabilising its finances.

Laporta, through his consultancy firm Core Store SL, acted as strategic and commercial advisor to the Reus ownership group between 2016 and 2018, a period during which the club competed in LaLiga SmartBank (Segunda División). 

Reus were expelled from professional football in December 2018 after failing to meet financial obligations exceeding €5 million, including unpaid player wages and tax liabilities, and eventually entering liquidation in 2020.

The current complaint was filed by plaintiff Joan Oliver, a former executive at Reus and ex-CEO of Barcelona under Laporta’s first presidency, who alleges that Laporta misrepresented financial guarantees, commercial backing, and investment commitments, leading to losses suffered by creditors and minority investors. 

Prosecutors are examining potential offences of fraud, misappropriation, and falsification of documents, although no conviction has been handed down, and Laporta has categorically denied wrongdoing, insisting he never held executive authority at Reus, never controlled club funds, and never served as a shareholder or board member.