The European Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating the management of Next Generation funds in ADIF contracts for the Madrid-Seville line. One of the cases, awarded to Thales España for €77.5 million, is under scrutiny.
According to labandera.es, the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Guardia Civil has approached the Court of Auditors to gather documentation in the proceedings opened over a possible fraud involving European funds. The investigation, driven by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, focuses on several ADIF contracts linked to the modernisation of the high-speed Madrid-Seville line.
On November 6, 2026, the European Public Prosecutor's Office announced the opening of an investigation ex officio for the possible fraudulent use of Next Generation funds. The inquiries include actions at the offices of ADIF, the State Agency for Railway Safety (AESF), and the Court of Auditors itself. According to the same approach, the investigation centres on investments in the section where the Urda (Toledo) accident occurred on October 28.
One of the cases examined is the contract awarded to Thales España for €77.5 million excluding VAT, which amounts to €93 million with tax. The aim was to renew the signalling of the line, implement the European railway protection system ERTMS, and update fixed telecommunications.
The Court of Auditors reviewed a total of 194 cases funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan in a report approved on December 18, 2025. This sample represented 66.9% of the declared contracts and 95.6% of the awarded amount under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.
Among those cases was the Thales contract. The Court identified six procedures where it could not sufficiently verify the capacity of representation of those who signed documents required to justify the conditions for European funding. The warning refers to administrative documentation and the powers of the signatories, not to the execution of the works or evidence of fraud in the award.
The case, referenced as 3.20/20810.0063, was awarded in October 2021 with a 28.5% reduction on the bidding budget. ADIF initially requested explanations from the company, considering the offer to be abnormally low. The expected timeframe was 52 months: four for drafting the project and 48 for execution.
In its allegations, ADIF acknowledged that the representatives who signed certain documents for this contract and another case awarded also to Thales were not listed in the Official Register of Bidders and Classified Companies (ROLECE) with sufficient powers. The entity indicated that it had requested corrections for those deficiencies, but the final report maintained both cases among the six unverified.
Investigators now want to determine whether the individuals who signed the documentation linked to the European funds had the necessary legal powers to do so. The Court of Auditors has not declared that those signatures were false.
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