SSC Bari, SSC Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis and Luigi De Laurentiis were astonished to learn about the allegations raised in the search and seizure decree ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Bari, which was carried out on Tuesday morning this week.
The investigators' findings relate to the intra-group transfer of a player, Elia Caprile, whose value had been quantified prior to the completion of the transfer, by means of a sworn appraisal by an independent third party. This third party is a highly respected professional who had previously served as a consultant to the judicial authorities. They are highly accredited in the football industry and have no connections whatsoever to the individuals under investigation.
Furthermore, the request for the judicial liquidation of SSC Bari - requested by the same Prosecutor's Office pursuant to Article 38 of the Italian Insolvency Code - is baffling. The club is an organisation that strictly honours its financial obligations, and its operating losses - which are a normal occurrence in the football industry - are systematically covered by the owners using their own resources.
SSC Bari, SSC Napoli and Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis express their firm and calm conviction their position will be swiftly clarified before the competent judicial authorities. They hope proceedings will swiftly be dismissed, taking into account the utmost seriousness with which the parties involved operate and have always operated, in full and scrupulous compliance with the law, accounting standards and FIGC regulations.
