Spanish National Court Judge Rejects Complaint Against Laporta

The Spanish newspaper ‘Mundo Deportivo’ reported that the judge of the Spanish National Court, Santiago Pedraz, decided not to accept the complaint filed by a member of FC Barcelona against the club’s president, Joan Laporta, and several former board members.

The newspaper explained that the complaint accused the officials at the club of alleged crimes, including money laundering and unjust enrichment, but the judge refused to accept it, stating that the Spanish National Court is not the competent authority to investigate these incidents.

The report noted that Pedraz based his decision on the precedents of the Spanish Supreme Court, which stipulate that the jurisdiction of the National Court in such cases is limited to instances where all the crimes committed are outside Spanish territory, and since this condition was not met, the judge decided not to open any investigation before the court.

The report also confirmed that the decision does not prevent the complainant from re-filing the case before the ordinary courts in Barcelona, which are the competent authority to consider these incidents if deemed appropriate, leaving the door open for legal proceedings against Laporta and the former board members.