Expert witnesses question financial movements in trial against former Córdoba CF official
The final stages of proceedings against Carlos González have included technical testimonies pointing to irregular financial operations during his tenure at the Andalusian club.
Expert witnesses question financial movements in trial against former Córdoba CF official
The criminal proceedings against Carlos González, who led Córdoba CF SAD between 2011 and 2018, has reached its concluding phase. The Provincial Court of Córdoba held its sixth hearing session on Monday, dedicated entirely to the statements of accounting experts.
Francisco Estepa, appointed to the administration of the proceedings for the sports entity, appeared as a specialist witness. He analysed various agreements signed with the company of Salvador Sánchez, a player representative also under investigation. Estepa described several contracts as non-existent in practice and highlighted that the interest rates applied to a loan were considerably higher than those of the market at that time.
Regarding an agreement worth one million euros linked to maintaining the team in the top division, the expert witness stated it lacked business logic. He also expressed surprise at the recording of six-figure bonuses for senior positions.
For his part, Francisco Javier Bernabéu, another court-appointed administrator of the club, expressed doubts about transfers made to companies linked to the accused. His impression was that the funds left the club's coffers without being returned. According to his account, the debt was settled through compensations rather than actual repayments. Bernabéu also warned about amounts he considered lost to the club's assets.
A National Police officer who prepared technical reports at the order of Court of First Instance number 3 concluded that numerous payments corresponded to non-existent services or whose value had been artificially inflated. The police officer noted that the accounting documents may conceal a very different reality.
The defence position was taken up by Alberto Rábano, who argued that under the management of the accused the club experienced remarkable recovery. In his view, sporting successes coincided with economic improvement and no harm to the company was established.
In the coming days, the accused parties are expected to make their statements and final arguments are to be presented.
Source: ABC