Spain is facing a new escalation in a high-profile investigation: the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has approached the country’s Supreme Court, demanding detailed information about a number of government contracts involved in an alleged corruption case among former senior members of the Socialist Party. The issue concerns not only national interests, but also possible misappropriation of European funds.
In a letter sent at the end of September, the supranational body insists on the prompt provision of information about contracts, tenders, and subsidies currently being examined as part of this case. The main objective is to determine whether these projects were funded from the European Union budget. If confirmed, the investigation could be transferred to the jurisdiction of European authorities, and Spain’s Supreme Court would be forced to hand over the case materials.
Earlier, in the summer of 2024, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office had already attempted to take control of another major investigation related to mask purchases at the onset of the pandemic. At that time, Spanish courts refused to relinquish their authority, keeping the case under national jurisdiction. Currently, the matter concerns 11 large infrastructure construction and maintenance contracts signed during the period when the Ministry of Transport was headed by one of the individuals implicated in the investigation.
Five of these contracts pertain to railway projects: work on the section in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona), underground utilities in Murcia, construction of a platform for the high-speed railway between Pulpi and Vera (Almería), maintenance of bridges and tunnels in Lucia, as well as emergency slope reinforcement in Asturias. The total value of these agreements approaches 400 million euros.
The remaining six contracts are related to road construction: among them are the building of supports for the famous bridge in Seville, sections of highways in La Rioja and Asturias, widening of the route between Dos Hermanas and Los Palacios (Sevilla), road maintenance in Teruel, and construction of the stretch between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Villamayor del Rio on the A-12 route. Investigators paid special attention to the contract for the Seville bridge, which, according to the investigation, attracted increased interest from parties involved in the case.
The fate of the investigation now depends on whether European funds are confirmed to be involved in financing these projects. If so, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office may request the transfer of the case, which could alter the course of the proceedings and affect future decisions by Spanish judicial authorities.
