Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is understood to have been arrested following a police raid on the club’s offices.

Catalan police searched the club’s headquarters at the Camp Nou as part of an investigation into the “Barcagate” scandal last year in which club officials were accused of creating a smear campaign against present and former players who had been critical of Bartomeu.

Police would not confirm the number of arrests but said that the operation was being conducted by officers from the financial crimes unit.

Last April, Barcelona denied paying a company to criticise players on social media and improve the image of Bartomeu. Barcelona players Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué and the club’s former manager Pep Guardiola were among those alleged to have been targeted.

Spanish radio station Cadena Ser said that Barcelona paid €1 million (about Rs 8.84 crore) in six separate invoices to I3 Ventures, the company, with whom the club has since cut ties.

Cadena Ser said Bartomeu, the club’s president between 2014 and 2020, was among those arrested. Bartomeu’s lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bartomeu had earlier said the company had only been hired to monitor social media posts and an internal audit cleared the club of any wrongdoing.

The arrests come six days before Barcelona’s presidential elections. Bartomeu resigned in October following months of controversy which included speculation over the future of Messi, who tried to leave the club last summer, and a decline in performances on the pitch.