Reports last month indicated that the Catalan club paid 6.5 million euros ($6.9 million) between 2001 and 2018 to a subsidiary of the former vice-president of the technical arbitration committee, Jose Maria Enriques Negrera.
Barcelona initially said Negrera was being paid for reports and advice on referees.
Spanish prosecutors are investigating the payments and El Pais newspaper said on Tuesday they intended to report Barcelona “for continued sporting corruption”.
“Let’s make it clear that Barcelona never bought referees, and Barca never had any intention of buying referees, ever,” Laporta said during an event in Barcelona.
“The power of facts belies those who try to change the story. We’re doing a good job again – nothing is accidental.”
Last month, Laporta launched a violent attack on Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish Football League, accusing him of “fabricating a campaign against Barcelona.”
He continued, “There is a campaign to harm Barcelona’s interests. It is a campaign aimed at controlling the club. The Spanish League does not accept that Barcelona did not sign the contract with the CVC (investment fund) that it manages itself.”
And Tebas considered that Laporta should resign “if he did not explain well or in a more logical way why” the club paid this money to Enriques Negrera.
In another context, Laporta said that he is considering extending coach Xavi Hernandez’s contract, as the team currently leads the La Liga standings, nine points behind Real Madrid, and appears on the right path to winning its first league title since 2019. Xavi’s current contract expires in June 2024.
He added in this regard, “He is a man who does not ask for crazy things and understands the (financial) situation of the club. I have considered renewing Xavi’s contract.”
