Overview
- A forensic examination carried out on March 24, 2026 concluded that José María Enríquez Negreira is not fit to stand trial because he has a mixed major neurocognitive disorder compatible with Alzheimer’s disease.
- The report records specific cognitive impairments in sustained attention, processing speed, executive function and a severe temporal‑contextual amnesia that together make it hard for him to understand or participate in judicial proceedings.
- Negreira’s defense asked for the new peritaje after submitting a Fundación ACE assessment that said he could not defend himself with full guarantees, and the defense will seek his formal exclusion from the criminal case.
- The investigating judge must now ask parties whether the remaining evidence is sufficient to send other suspects—including former FC Barcelona presidents and executives—to trial, and exclusion of Negreira would not stop the broader probe.
- The inquiry stems from Negreira’s 2021 tax declaration that he received €7.3 million from FC Barcelona between 2001 and 2018 for alleged verbal ‘arbitral advice,’ and prosecutors are examining whether those payments influenced referees or served to divert club funds.