The judicial process has concluded with a sentence of one year and nine months in prison for the employee, although she will not have to serve time if she does not reoffend within a three-year period. The sentence also includes the full restitution of the 214,494 euros embezzled, as well as associated costs and interest.
The accounting and finance manager of Club Natació Granollers (CNG) made several bank transfers from the entity's accounts to her personal accounts, taking advantage of her position of trust and access to the club's banking credentials. These operations took place between July 2019 and March 2022.
“"We detected small amounts that did not correspond, and then we implemented a set of good practice processes to scrutinize everything that was being done financially at the club. This embezzlement of over 200,000 euros was carried out in small amounts from late 2019 until 2022. We conducted audits and presented accounts, but the misappropriated amounts were disguised as payments to suppliers, making them difficult to detect. Finally, we confirmed that they were not ours."
The former president of the club's board of directors during the affected period highlighted the difficulty of detecting the embezzlement, as the amounts were withdrawn in small fractions and disguised as supplier payments. He emphasized that detection was possible thanks to the work of the then executive director of the club and the intervention of an external company that confirmed the employee's involvement.
After failing to receive a response when directly demanding the money from the person involved, the club filed the corresponding complaint. The former president stressed that the club acted diligently at all times and that no board members or the executive director were indicted in the case.
This theft occurred at a particularly challenging time for the club, coinciding with the years of the pandemic and the energy crisis, periods when the embezzled funds would have been of great use to the entity.
