Barcelona Court Dismisses Reus Case and Clears Laporta of Fraud Charges

The Barcelona court decided to dismiss the lawsuit filed on charges of fraud related to the Rios Deportiu investment project, which was associated with the name of Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona.

The Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported that the court upheld the previous ruling by the investigating judge and dismissed the complaint of former Spanish tennis player Albert Ramos, who invested 100,000 euros in the project in 2016 before it later faltered.

The court confirmed the absence of evidence proving the use of names like Joan Laporta, Rafael Yuste, and Xavier Sala i Martín to attract investors. It also emphasized that the project was genuine and that Ramos received the agreed-upon benefits during the years 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The court added that the project's setbacks were due to subsequent circumstances, including the exclusion of Rios Deportivo from the professional football league and its entry into bankruptcy proceedings, along with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It concluded that there were no indications of fraud or that the project was presented with prior knowledge of its failure.

Despite the closure of this case, Laporta is still under investigation in two other cases related to the same project.