Contracts for electronic bracelets used to protect victims of gender-based violence totalled €102.6 million across the awards examined by the Tribunal de Cuentas. The 2023 contract accounted for €42.6 million and was partly funded through the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR).
The figures come from a UCO operation directed by the Fiscalía Europea, which is investigating suspected irregular use of EU funds. Guardia Civil agents went to the Ministerio de Igualdad and the Tribunal de Cuentas to collect documents. The investigation is ongoing; the available information does not establish that fraud has been proven.
The audit examined the 2018 and 2021 awards, followed by the 2023 contract. It found irregularities in the contracting and monitoring of the devices, as well as serious deficiencies in the ministry’s tenders. The Tribunal de Cuentas said service quality should take precedence over cost savings and that the best available technology should be ensured. Separately, in 2026, the Tribunal de Cuentas approved an audit of governance arrangements for Spain’s PRTR, covering the period from the plan’s approval through 31 December 2024. The court reported weaknesses and limitations in the actions and monitoring carried out by PRTR governance bodies.
The 2023 contract remained in operation until May 2025. In September that year, the Fiscalía General del Estado acknowledged faults in the devices. The report said those faults had put victims’ safety at serious risk and contributed to acquittals of abusers. The Government, led by Pedro Sánchez, and Equality Minister Ana Redondo had said the problems would be addressed through a new contract; the supplied information does not establish whether that resolved the failures.
Concerns had surfaced earlier. El Confidencial reported that the Observatorio contra la Violencia Doméstica y de Género, which depends on the Consejo General del Poder Judicial (CGPJ), alerted Redondo in January 2025 to risks involving the new bracelets. The Fiscalía had also cited multiple device failures affecting compliance with restraining orders in gender-based violence and sexual violence cases. The ministry initially denied a broader problem, describing the faults as isolated cases.
The audit also covered a minor contract worth €12,706.21. Separately, an earlier report on La Palma flight diversions concerned an unrelated transport disruption.
