Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is believed to be among several high-profile individuals arrested by police after raids at the club’s Camp Nou stadium on Monday. 

Authorities from Mosso d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s police force, conducted a search and seize operation at the stadium, the club said but did not share any further details, according to a report in The Guardian. 

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Reports in the Spanish media claimed the raid was in connection to last year’s “Barca-gate”, an alleged smear campaign launched by club officials against current and former players who were critical of the club’s management and boost Bartomeu’s image. 

The club was accused of covering up payments to the firm I3 Ventures, a charge denied by Bartomeu. In an interview with Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Lionel Messi described the scandal as “weird”. 

Bartomeu, Roman Gomes Ponti, the club’s head of legal services, and Oscar Grau, the chief executive, have been arrested on charges of “unfair administration, corruption between individuals and money laundering,” Cadena SER radio station reported. 

However, the police refused to confirm names, saying only “arrests are taking place”, AFP reported, adding that the operation was being run by officers from the financial crimes unit.

The club later confirmed the operation, saying, “Regarding the entry and search by the Catalan Police force this morning at the Camp Nou offices by order of the Instructing Court number 13 in Barcelona, which is in charge of the case relating to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks, FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation.”

“The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case,” the statement added.

Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned on October 28, 2020 after mounting controversies and rising debt, in addition to the fallout with Messi, who had announced his decision to leave in the summer. 

That same month, the club reported a loss €97 million, with their debt rising to €488 million. Bartomeu also oversaw a dramatic decline in the club’s performances, recording successive humiliating eliminations from the Champions League in recent years.

The raids come just six days before the scheduled presidential elections, with over 20,000 club members having cast their vote. Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Freia are the final three candidates for the position.