EU prosecutors open possible fraud inquiry after deadly Spanish rail crash

The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said on Friday that it had opened an investigation into possible fraud involving EU funds allocated to upgrade safety, signalling and communications systems on the Madrid–Seville high-speed line.

On 28 October, a moving train struck a stationary service near Urda on the line, killing 69 people. The BBC reported that the line’s LZB safety system had failed and that the moving train had been cleared to travel at normal speed.

Sources at the EPPO told Spanish news agency Europa Press that the contracts under investigation were related to possible causes of the crash. The inquiry is not a finding that fraud took place or that any misuse of funds caused the collision.

The EPPO said it was carrying out investigative measures at railway infrastructure manager Adif, the state rail safety agency and Spain’s Court of Auditors, with support from a specialist Guardia Civil unit. The Court of Auditors told Europa Press that officers were there in connection with a request for information.

Adif sources told broadcaster RTVE that the documents requested concerned signalling and communications upgrades and that the organisation was cooperating fully. The EPPO’s announcement did not identify specific contracts, suspects or amounts, and said no further details would be released at this stage.

It is the prosecutor’s second investigation into possible misuse of EU funds on the same line. In March, it announced a separate inquiry concerning maintenance funding for the track near Adamuz, where a crash in January killed 46 people.

Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, resigned earlier this week, the BBC reported. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faces a general election on 29 November.