Just in: Barcelona will not be prosecuted with bribery charged in Negreira case, Anti-Corruption Office says

In an interesting turn of events, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have opposed the investigation of Barcelona for bribery. The office believe that Negreira was not a public official, and therefore, would not be chasing Barcelona with persecution, as per a report from Que T’hi Jugues.

They will not be bringing any charges against Enriquez Negreira, Joan Laporta, Sandro Rossell, and Josep Bartomeu, all considered to have played a major part in the scandal as first-hand parties.

This is largely because the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have ruled that since Negreira was not a public servant, they cannot involve the state office in a private matter.

Therefore, the charges brought of bribery brought to them do not exist, and that this matter should be settled by the private parties involved — in this case, Barcelona, the rest of the Spanish clubs, and the RFEF.

This could mean a temporary sigh of relief for Barcelona, but at the same time, could also mean that without the involvement of a bigger party in play here, La Liga, headed by Javier Tebas, could punish the club more harshly after a private investigation.