Lleida CF faces liquidation after discovering that the investor who had promised to assume the club's urgent debt was an impostor. The entity has filed a complaint for fraud and document forgery against the man who identified himself as Joseph Edward Fernández García and who failed to deposit the committed money.
The collapse of the only avenue that kept the club's continuity open leaves Lleida CF with no margin just days before the deadline for the creditors' meeting. Marc Torres, deputy president, summarized that scenario in a press conference with a direct statement: there is no immediate alternative to cover the 1.8 million euros that had to be paid before June 5 to the Tax Agency and Social Security.
The club reported the false identity after detecting banking irregularities
Torres went to the Mossos d'Esquadra after detecting anomalies in the documentation provided by the supposed businessman and during the process of opening bank accounts. The complaint was formalized at the Les Corts police station in Barcelona, as the man claimed to reside in the Catalan capital.
The commitment signed by that investor involved immediately assuming the debt of 1.8 million euros through a company that was in the process of acquisition. The payment was due before June 5, the deadline set within the creditors' meeting.
"There is no future. We have no alternatives. It would be a huge stroke of luck if someone appeared now and put up the necessary money. It's very complicated" - Marc Torres, deputy president, Lleida CF
The investigation also indicates that the detainee is of Spanish nationality, not British as he had claimed when presenting himself to the club. This difference is part of the checks carried out once the first doubts about his identity arose.
Wednesday's arrest was in response to a prior court order
The man was arrested on Wednesday during a meeting at the club's offices, when he did not deposit the agreed amount nor could he prove who he was. Nevertheless, the arrest was not due to Lleida CF's complaint.
The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested him on a prior arrest warrant issued by the Provincial Court of Barcelona, after he failed to appear for a pending trial. He spent one night detained in Lleida and was then placed at the disposal of the city's duty court.
The duty court of Lleida released him after that judicial presentation. Meanwhile, the club maintains the complaint for fraud and document forgery against whoever used the false identity of Joseph Edward Fernández García.
The most concrete point of the frustrated agreement was the payment of 1.8 million euros to the Tax Agency and Social Security before June 5, an amount that was to arrive through a company that the supposed investor was trying to buy.