Europe

EU prosecutor probes Spanish rail agencies over possible €110m fraud

A second deadly crash on Spain’s Madrid–Seville high-speed railway has been followed by an EU investigation into possible fraud involving up to €110 million in European funds. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office opened the probe on Friday, 6 November, focusing on money for maintenance of the line.

EU prosecutor probes Spanish rail agencies over possible €110m fraud

The investigation concerns the use of EU funds after a collision on the route on 28 October killed 69 people in Toledo, according to the source article. A separate crash on the same line in January killed 46 people.

The EPPO’s headquarters in Luxembourg said investigators had begun measures involving Spain’s Administrator of Railway Infrastructure (ADIF), the State Railway Safety Agency (AESF) and the Spanish Court of Auditors. Civil Guard agents visited the agencies’ offices on Friday morning to request documents that could provide evidence of embezzlement in the railway’s maintenance work.

The European Commission declined to comment on the procedures at a Friday press briefing, saying the EPPO acts independently of EU institutions.

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