Former Barca President Sandro Rosell Demands The Government Of Spain 29 Million Euros

JAKARTA - Former President of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell sued the Spanish government for more than 29 million euros. This lawsuit was filed because Rosell suffered material and psychological losses as a result of spending two years in prison.

Rosell was arrested in May 2017 and spent 20 months in prison after being accused, along with five others, of laundering fees for the audiovisual rights of 24 Brazil matches as well as a sponsorship contract with Nike.

After being given parole in February 2019, he was released from charge two months later. Prosecutors at the Spanish National Court, who demanded a six-year sentence, failed to prove the allegations.

Information published by El Mundo revealed that Rosell wanted the € 29 million figure to be paid by the public officials - judges, police and prosecutors - who made his arrest.

In total, Rosell claimed compensation of 29,754,465.02 euros. Most of that amount - 28,062,950 euros - comes from the business losses that Rosell suffered while behind bars.

The remainder consists of the damage to his reputation (405,000 euros), psychological damage (200,000 euros) and emotional damage (320,000 euros) that he suffered as a result of his prison sentence.

The money laundering case that ensnared Rosell for the first time surfaced in 2014. After this case evaporated, he decided to resign from the Barcelona presidency he has held since 2010.

Last April Rossell began to open his voice regarding the case that entangled him. He believes he was deliberately thrown in prison for his position as president of Barcelona.

"If I were not the president of Barca, I would not have been jailed. From that I have no doubts," said Rosell.