Bart Slabbekoorn18 Oct 2024, 23:20
Last updated: Oct 18, 2024, 11:50 PM
FC Barcelona has fallen victim to fraud surrounding the transfer of Robert Lewandowski, it has been reported BILD. The Spanish top club received an email from a person posing as the Polish striker’s agent. The fraudster then forwarded bank details to arrange a payment of 1 million euros. Once Barça had transferred the amount, the bank decided to freeze the account.
Lewandowski moved from Bayern Munich to Barcelona in the summer of 2022. The transfer involved an amount of 45 million euros including bonuses.
Some time later, the Spaniards received an email from someone posing as Pini Zahavi. The 82-year-old Zahavi is the agent of Lewandowski, among others. The email asked for the payment of 1 million euros, which was part of the Pole’s transfer.
The alleged Zahavi provided all necessary bank details and the name of an alleged lawyer: Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon. Barcelona were convinced and sent the money to an account in Cyprus.
Barça meanwhile decided to inquire with Zahavi a month after the transfer. He stated that he did not know the lawyer and had never requested a payment to an account in Cyprus. The club then informed the authorities, but they could do nothing. The Spanish club and the agent had both not filed a report.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for the fraudster, until the bank in Cyprus threw a spanner in the works. Research showed that the account had only been created in July 2022 and had not yet shown any movement. The bank therefore decided to freeze the account. The account holder then tried to put pressure on the bank and threatened to file a complaint with UEFA. But the bank stood firm and closed the account in October 2022.
Barcelona therefore escaped unscathed and got their money back. Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon has since been tracked down and found. It turned out that he was not registered as a lawyer in any European country and that he lived in Arnhem.
Demon claimed that his documents were stolen and may have been used to create a open an account with the Bank of Cyprus. He did not want to provide further explanation. However, according to the Bank of Cyprus, it is impossible to open an account with stolen documents.
A spokesperson emphasizes that the authenticity of passports and identification documents is checked and that accounts are only opened after a personal conversation or a video conference. Because no charges have been filed so far, no criminal charges have been filed against the 51-year-old Dutchman.
