A new court ruling in favor of FC Barcelona has made it clear that the club will not face bribery charges in the so-called “Negreira case.”
The charges stem over payments made to a former refereeing official, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira. Both the club and Negreira have said that they did not break any laws, and that the payments were in exchange for written reports about referee performances.
Judge Joaquin Aguirre Lopez intended to prosecute Barcelona on bribery charges over these payments, but the court ruled against him.
“FC Barcelona hereby wishes to express its utter satisfaction with the sense of the resolution issued today by the Barcelona court insofar as it confirms the defence presented by the club and rejects the hypothesis of the alleged crime of bribery,” the club said in a statement.