Searches were carried out at the offices of SSC Calcio Bari, SSC Napoli and Filmauro srl as part of an investigation by the Guardia di Finanza, coordinated by the Bari Public Prosecutor's Office, into Luigi and Aurelio De Laurentiis .
The two, the first sole director of SSC Bari and his father, chairman of the board of directors of Napoli and legal representative of Filmauro, are under investigation for the crimes of false corporate communications (Bari Calcio's 2024 financial statements) and fraudulent bankruptcy related to the request to initiate liquidation proceedings, filed due to the insolvency of the Bari sports club.
The measure stems from in-depth analyses of the financial statements, explanatory notes, and management reports of the Bari-based club, supported by technical consultancy. These findings revealed that SSC Bari, which is experiencing a systemic loss (approximately €30 million between 2019 and 2025), "is burdened by a significant capital deficit and significant debt exposure, in the absence of a concrete recovery plan."
The Caprile case
Among the charges raised by investigators is the sale of Elia Caprile . The searches also concern the sports director and an agent, who are not under investigation, who allegedly participated in the sale of Caprile from Bari to Napoli. It is believed that the Bari club's financial statements "exposed material facts that were not true, or omitted information that was necessary for a correct assessment of the company's economic, financial and equity situation."
Specifically, Bari Calcio, after purchasing Caprile from Leeds, for which it had paid bonuses related to the potential resale value, would have in turn resold him to Napoli for €2.2 million in July 2023, "in the absence," investigators explain, "of any clause regarding participation in the future capital gain." This capital gain would have actually materialized, as Caprile was subsequently sold to Cagliari Calcio for approximately €8 million .
The targets of the searches in this matter (not under investigation) are the sporting directors of Bari, Ciro Polito, and Napoli, Cristiano Giuntoli until June 2023 and Mauro Meluso from July 2023 to May 2024, as well as Caprile's sports agent Graziano Battistini.
From the technical report ordered by the Bari Public Prosecutor's Office, it emerges that in July 2023, at a time when SSC Bari "was experiencing a total erosion of its share capital due to systemic losses from 2019 to 2024," it sold the player Caprile to SSC Napoli.
Therefore, the documents explain, after his tenure with Bari Calcio, the transfer transaction took place for €2.2 million, thus realizing the full transfer of the potential future capital gains.
SSC Napoli, in fact, after having used him "totally marginally" in the first team, according to the documents, limiting his use to just four official appearances over the course of two seasons, allegedly proceeded to develop the player by loaning him to Empoli Calcio, "a method that allowed Caprile to gain experience, visibility and market value", until his subsequent permanent sale to Cagliari Calcio, for an estimated sum of around 8 million euros, realising a significant capital gain (around 7 million), "entirely stolen from SSC Bari ".
(Unioneonline)
