Barcelona president Joan Laporta faces €91,500 fraud allegations

According to the complaint, the plaintiff invested €50,000 in a loan to Core Store, a company aiming to help Reus Deportivo gain promotion from Segunda División B to the Segunda División. She later invested a further €54,000 in shares of CSSB Limited, a company that planned to establish a football training academy in Barcelona modeled on La Masia.

Laporta was listed as a joint administrator of Core Store, CEO of Reus Deportivo and legal representative of CSSB Limited at the time. Both investments ultimately failed, and the plaintiff reportedly recovered only €12,500 in August 2024, following repeated claims of contractual breaches by the two companies.

The investor later learned, through the documentary Laportagate - The Reus 2 Case, that other individuals had made similar unsuccessful investments in Core Store and CSSB Limited. She then contacted lawyer Pepe Oriola, who represents several other investors, to pursue legal action against Laporta.

In the complaint, the projects were described as relying heavily on the “public and professional reputation of the participants”, who were portrayed as “widely recognized and reputable figures in the sports and business field”. While the projects appeared profitable on paper, the reputation of those involved was cited as a decisive factor in attracting investment.

Barcelona’s Court of Instruction No. 22 has summoned Laporta, vice-president Rafael Yuste, and former board members Xavier Sala i Martín and Joan Oliver to testify on 16 January. The court accepted that all four were linked to Core Store, based in Spain, and CSSB Limited, based in Hong Kong, at the time the alleged events took place.

The duration of the legal proceedings remains unclear, and this is not expected to be Laporta’s only court appearance in the matter. This marks the third case in which he has been charged in relation to the Core Store and CSSB Limited allegations.