European Prosecutor probes Adif rail contract awarded during lockdown

The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) has dispatched the Central Operational Unit (UCO) of the Spanish Civil Guard to the headquarters of Adif, Spain's railway infrastructure manager, regarding a €49.4 million rail renewal contract funded by EU Feder funds. The contract was awarded on March 16, 2020, just 48 hours after the first state of alarm came into force. One of the affected sections is Urda (Toledo), where a fatal train accident occurred on October 28, killing 69 people.

## A contract signed while the country was confined

On March 14, 2020, the Government declared the first state of alarm due to the elbichito-19 pandemic. Two days later, on March 16, Adif awarded a contract for the renovation of the Madrid-Seville railway line for **€49.4 million**, of which **€18 million** corresponded to the tender for the works. The initial execution period was **15 months**. Financing was provided by the European Regional Development Fund (Feder), according to information published by **La Razón**.

The award went to a Joint Venture (UTE) comprising **Ferrovial**, Contratas y Ventas (Convensa), **Azvi**, and Agrupación Guinovart Obras y Servicios Hispania. The project was part of the package of community funds destined for railway infrastructures.

## The European Prosecutor makes a move

The EPPO ordered the deployment of the **Central Operational Unit (UCO)** of the Civil Guard to the headquarters of the railway infrastructure manager. This action takes place within the framework of the investigation into the awarding of this contract. The Civil Guard also searched the construction company **Azvi** on the same day.

The name Azvi appears linked to another judicial front: in **2023**, the company hired **Koldo García**, then an advisor to Minister **Ábalos**, to expand its businesses in Latin America. The UCO suspects that the remuneration responded to efforts to rig tenders for the benefit of the company, a hypothesis that forms part of the investigation and not a conviction.

## The Urda section and the October accident

One of the sections where the bidding companies operated is **Urda (Toledo)**. There, on **October 28**, a railway accident occurred in which **69 people** lost their lives. The coincidence between the awarded section and the disaster places the focus on the conditions of the line's renovation.

The investigation remains open and none of the mentioned companies have been convicted. Any assessment of responsibilities must adhere to the outcome of the judicial proceedings.