The Court of Inquiry number 2 of Sabadell is investigating one possible corruption in the Catalan Football Federation (FCF), allegedly committed during last year’s electoral processes. Specifically, there are a dozen investigated, including the current president, John Soterasas well as managers very close to him and other positions that participated in the organization of the elections.
This Tuesday, the Mossos d’Esquadra recorded for hours the headquarters of the Federation in Barcelona by court order. Plainclothes agents arrived early and have prevented the entry of some workers while they have confiscated the mobile phones of others who were inside to prevent their communication with the outside.
Inside the headquarters, there was the current president, Joan Soterasas well as members of the legal cabinet, the police have been looking for documentation related to the electoral process since the early hours of the morning. Besides, they took information that was inside the computers and acts related to the elections.
Judicial sources have remarked to El Periódico de Catalunya, from the same group as Diari de Girona, that the police investigate possible fraud in the elections held last year, in which Joan Soteras was re-elected as president. The judicial action starts from one complaint to the Mossos by the aspirant Joan Josep Isernwho has already brought the current leaders of the Catalan Football Federation to court.
The court has an open case, which is under secrecy, for the crimes of document forgery, forgery in a private document i disloyal administration. The Sabadell Prosecutor’s Office is also involved in the proceedings for this alleged case of corruption would affect managers of the FCF. It is processed by a court in Sabadell because the notary who endorsed the votes in the federation elections is in this city, although this person he has gone so far as to declare that he had been deceived.
In February last year, days before the elections, Isern reported to the Mossos that there could be a possible irregularity in the electoral process. He assured that from the General Directorate of the Catalan Football Federation the Secretary of Sport had been asked to list of managers of the 1,220 federated clubs. For Isern this request could break the electoral neutralityas he considered that it benefited Soteras, and to be a crime of usurpation of functions.
Process before the TSJC
In April of last year, Isern filed a complaint against Soteras for insults and slander. On May 22, 2022, the FCF electionsbut they were annulled by the Catalan Sports Court (TCE), finding that the results they were adulterated by the manipulation and falsification of 175 votes.
The replay was on February 13, 2023 and Soteras won, however Isern contested the elections again before the TCE, for possible irregularities such as falsification of vote delegation acts. “There is not a single falsified document, all have gone through a notary. If I did it, we could say that I falsified them, but I didn’t do it, a notary did it”, Soteras went so far as to say. This judicial process is currently in the Superior Court of Justice in Catalonia.
As soon as he learned of the challenge, Soteras accused Isern of having “personal interests” and to create this conflict as a “smoke screen” to cover his own judicial problemsas he assured that is “investigated” in the Soule case. Isern assured that he is a “witness” in this procedure and not “investigated” and that is why a lawsuit was filed against Soteras for insults and slander against the president of the FCF.
false acts
However, several clubs reported to the Catalan police in several Catalan police stations for alleged falsifications of notarial acts with the delegated vote. Presumably one would appear signature that would not correspond to the person who issued the document, according to research sources. The Mossos agents have collected these complaints plus Isern’s initial for possible frau electoral and they took her to the Sabadell court which investigates the alleged irregularities in the Federation.
The ‘clash’ with the Generalitat
Joan Soteras’ position remains very delicate at the head of the FCF. Last summer, and after the scandal starring the former president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) during the celebration of the past World Cup in Australia and New Zealand when he planted an unconsented kiss on Jenni Hermoso, The Generalitat called Soteras to order. The leader of the Catalan Football Federation he had been very lukewarm about Rubiales’ attitudeeven admitting Rubiales’ apologies in the middle of the crisis.
The Generalitat, then, called Soteras to order, whom he met with the Councilor of the Presidency, Laura Vilagrà, to ask him for explanations. Later, the spokeswoman for the Government, Patrícia Plaja even went so far as to ask for the resignation of Soterasaffirming that he was not the “adequate” person to exercise the position because he had “neither the forcefulness nor the forms [en la censura a Rubiales], nor to have represented the majority opinion of society. Even the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, claimed Soteras more forceful against Rubiales. Meanwhile, the president of the Catalan Football Federation was always calm knowing that the Government could not act against him as his was a private entity.
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2024-03-05 18:54:28
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