The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has opened an investigation into possible fraud in the financing of Spain’s rail network, following two deadly train crashes this year, according to an Al Jazeera report.
What the EPPO did
On Friday, the EPPO said it carried out investigative measures at the headquarters of Adif, Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, at the country’s railway safety agency (AESF) and at its court of auditors. The focus is on possible fraud in the financing of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, specifically EU funds meant for renovating and upgrading its safety, signalling and communications systems.
Adif confirmed the visit to Reuters and said it complied with the search and provided the information requested. The other two bodies did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The report says there are no further updates on the investigation yet.
The two crashes
On 28 October, a train collision in Urda, in Toledo province, killed at least 69 passengers. It was Spain’s second fatal crash this year. In January, a high-speed crash in the Adamuz region had killed 46 passengers, and the EPPO had already looked into the Spanish rail network in March after that accident.
Resignations
Transport Minister Óscar Puente resigned on Tuesday, calling it a “matter of political dignity.” Adif president Luis Pedro Marco de la Peña resigned the next day. Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo will fill Puente’s role until elections later this month.
Reactions
EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas called the closeness of the two fatal accidents “very worrying”. He said Spain has asked the European Union Agency for Railways to help with the ongoing national investigation. At the end of October, survivors of three of Spain’s deadliest rail crashes gathered to demand better safety procedures and more investment in maintenance. Survivor Cristóbal González warned: “They will keep happening if we do not act.”
Background
Spain’s deadliest rail crash in modern times remains the 2013 Angrois accident, which killed 79 people.
The EPPO probe is about possible fraud in the use of funds. It has not said who is responsible for either crash.
Source: Al Jazeera reporting. Image: file photo of a Spanish high-speed train, not the train involved. Photo: Kabelleger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
