Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis have expressed astonishment at a financial investigation targeting their stewardship of Serie C club Bari, after prosecutors in the Italian city conducted searches at the club and parent company Filmauro on Tuesday.
The Napoli owner and his son, who serves as Bari’s sole director, are the subjects of a probe by the Bari Prosecutor’s office into alleged false accounting and fraudulent bankruptcy offences. The investigation stems from an examination of Bari’s financial records, which revealed operating losses totalling approximately €30 million between 2019 and 2025, alongside a substantial capital deficit and significant debt exposure.
Financial Allegations and Searches
Authorities searched the offices of both Bari and Filmauro—the company through which the family owns both the Serie C side and Serie A champions Napoli—on Tuesday morning. Prosecutors believe the club’s precarious financial situation was further worsened by a series of suspicious transactions.
The investigation specifically examines the intra-group transfer of goalkeeper Elia Caprile. Judicial authorities have also requested the judicial liquidation of SSC Bari, contending that the club faces mounting liabilities with no credible restructuring plan in place.
The Defence
In a statement released through Napoli’s official channels on Tuesday evening, the De Laurentiis family vigorously contested the allegations. They described the investigators’ objections as “astonishing” and defended the Caprile transfer, stating the player’s value had been quantified through a sworn appraisal conducted by an independent third-party expert.
The family emphasised that Bari respects its economic commitments and that operating losses are covered systematically by the ownership through private capital. They rejected the proposed judicial liquidation as “stunning” given the club’s adherence to financial obligations.
The statement expressed confidence that their position would be “quickly clarified” before the competent Judicial Authority. They hope for the swift dismissal of proceedings, citing “the extreme seriousness with which the subjects involved operate, and have always operated, on a day-to-day basis, in full compliance with the law, accounting standards and federal regulations.”
Bari currently compete in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football, and have struggled with financial sustainability throughout the De Laurentiis family’s ownership period. The club’s immediate future now hinges on the outcome of the judicial review.