Barcelona Winter Bid Leader Accused of Theft

(ATR) The preparations for a Winter Olympic bid from Barcelona are caught by surprise with the arrest of its leader.

Gerard Figueras has been arrested in connection with an alleged diversion scheme of government grant money.

Figueras, general secretary of sports of the Government of Catalonia pleaded not guilty Wednesday as a judge granted his release along with three other public officials. Figueras denied the accusations to the press gathered for the hearing.

Figueras is being investigated for the crimes of embezzlement, prevarication and influence peddling.

"I am fully convinced that all the rules of administrative law have been scrupulously followed," he told the media before adding that the "way of proceeding"of the secretariat he directs was "correct at all times."

Around The Rings tried to contact Figueras about the possible effect of this situation on the Olympic project.

Last September, Figueras had told ATR that the formalization of the Pyrenees-Barcelona 2020 candidacy would be done before the International Olympic Committee after the new general elections in Spain on November 10.

An Olympic source tells ATR "wait to see how the process evolves."

"I am surprised by the issue of diverting funds from the Candidacy project when, as far as I know, there is no budget in this regard," the source added.

Pyrenees-Barcelona 2030 is one of at least two other cities in the next Winter Olympic host to be chosen by the IOC. Salt Lake City in the U.S. and Sapporo, Japan are the two other possible bids.

Reported by Miguel Hernandez.