Former MotoGP rider Hector Barbera is under investigation by Andorran authorities for fraud and forgery relating to a payment in 2020.
Barbera bought a van in 2020 but the dealer never received payment, according to Andorran local media outlet, Altaveu.
The van was reportedly sold for an agreed price of €13,500 (around £12,000 at time of writing, February 2023), but the payment was never received by the seller. As a result, a complaint was made to the police who have since alleged that Barbera forged documents.
Since the non-purchase in 2020, ex-Grand Prix rider Barbera went to race in MotoAmerica’s Superbike class, and has recently announced that he will ride for the TAG Racing Honda team in British Superbikes this season.
According to Altaveu, the Andorran authorities are unaware of Barbera’s whereabouts, although it is believed that the van involved in the case remains in Valencia, where Barbera is originally from.
Barbera’s residency card for Andorra expired in 2019, and it has not been renewed. Additionally, Ride Apart writes that it is believed the Spanish rider could be currently maintaining a residence in Valencia.
It is not currently thought that this new investigation in Andorra will directly affect Barbera’s British Superbike campaign in 2023. The first preseason test for BSB will be in Navarra, Spain, next month, and the first race will be in Silverstone one month later on 7-9 April.
This investigation is the latest in a list of legal cases for Barbera, which has previously involved two cases of drink driving - which cost him his Moto2 ride in 2018, giving an opportunity to new GasGas MotoGP rider Augusto Fernandez in Sito Pons’ team - and the alleged theft of a Team Toth Yamaha R6 Supersport motorcycle.
