Former Barcelona vice-president Emili Rousaud has doubled down on his claims that there is corruption at the club amid legal action being taken against him.
Rousaud said in an interview with Marca last week that there was someone with prominence at the club who ‘had their hands in the till’, implying that they were making personal gain.
As outlined by Cadena Cope, the Blaugrana will sue Rousand in order to defend the honourability of the club and its workers.
Last week, Barcelona via a club statement condemned ‘the serious and unfounded allegations’ and added that they ‘reserve the right to take the necessary legal action’, which now appears to be being carried out.
Rousaud was one of two vice-presidents and six board members in total to resign on Thursday evening, as first reported by Catalan media outlet La Vanguardia.
“I would say that posturing is the right word,” Rousaud told an interview with ESPN when asked about the legal challenge.
“They say there has been no corruption, which is what I disagree with. For me, the fact they have divided contracts and bills – and, in addition, one of them is with a company based in a fiscal paradise – to avoid the club’s internal controls speaks of corruption. [The internal controls] are there to guarantee that the contracts are adjusted to the market price and that just services are contracted.
“It’s not necessary to wait for the final results [of an external audit]. It’s obvious that, in this case, they have evidently acted in bad faith.
“It annoyed me that people, including the club’s spokesman, asked why I didn’t complain when I was in the inside. I did – so that question is shameless.
“When I was still a member of the board, I was insisting that we clean this up and I believe that is the reason why I now find myself on the outside, because I complained.
“If I would have looked the other way and not given it importance and demanded responsibility be taken, I would possibly still be on the board.”
A report from El Mundo Deportivo earlier this month claimed Bartomeu wanted to reshape the top level of the club ahead of his final year at the helm of the presidency and called for others to resign.
There have been several controversies at the top of the club in recent months with the report claiming that many professional relationships have been damaged irreversibly.
In February, it emerged Bartomeu had hired company I3 Ventures to attack his ‘opponents’, including Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi, online.
The findings of Barcelona’s involvement with the company were revealed after Barcelona issued a statement denying a report from the Cadena Sera radio station claiming the club were paying a third party to damage the reputation of others.
It was even suggested by allies that Bartomeu should consider his resignation to allow a continue candidate to step in and continue supporting policies promoted by the current president.
Image via El Periodico
