JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU, former president of La Liga’s Barcelona, was arrested by local police following a raid at Barca’s office at their home stadium Camp Nou on Monday, according to multiple media outlets.

Barca’s CEO Oscar Grau and head of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti were also arrested as the police entered Camp Nou searching for evidence relating to the “Barcagate” social media scandal a year ago, in which club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players who were critical of the club and then-president Bartomeu.

Police did not say who were taken into custody but presidential candidate Joan Laporta confirmed Spanish media reports that Bartomeu was among those detained.

“Facing what happened today with the raids at the club’s headquarters and the detentions of Barca’s ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu and other executives of the club, our team want to express our utmost respect towards the actions conducted by the judiciary and police authorities as well as utmost respect towards the principle of presumption of innocence,” Laporta said. “We are deeply saddened by these events that cause enormous harm to the image of our club.”

Members of the police’s financial crimes department conducted the operation in five different locations, including “some specific departments of the FC Barcelona offices.” They said they were investigating “alleged crimes related to property and socio-economic order.”

Authorities spent several hours at the team headquarters searching documents and talking to employees.

The club, mired in debt of more than 1.1 billion euros (US$1.3 billion), said it offered “full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts, which are subject to investigation.”

(SD-Agencies)