Catalan police raided the offices of Barcelona football club on Monday and arrested high ranking officials including the team’s former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media that according to multiple media reports, the club’s CEO Oscar Grau and legal director Roman Gomez were also detained.

The raids and arrests are related to the so-called Barca-gate scandal, according to broadcaster Cadena Ser, in which the football club’s executives allegedly launched smear campaigns against outspoken critics of their management, including famous players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.