BRUSSELS, Nov 6 (Reuters) – The European Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Friday it had carried out investigations at the headquarters of Spain’s railway infrastructure manager, its railway safety agency and its court of auditors in a probe into possible fraud in the financing of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line.
There have been two deadly accidents on the line this year.
• The prosecutor’s office said in a statement it is investigating possible fraud involving EU funds allocated to the renovation and upgrading of the line’s safety, signalling and communications systems
• The prosecutor’s office conducted searches at infrastructure operator Adif, railway safety agency AESF and Spain’s Court of Auditors
• Adif confirmed staff from the prosecutor’s office went to its headquarters and said it supplied all the information requested
• AESF and the court of auditors did not immediately respond to requests for comment
• An accident on the Madrid-Seville line in January killed 46 people, while a collision in October killed 69
• The EU prosecutor’s office opened a separate investigation in March following the first accident
(Reporting by Inti Landauro and Emma Pinedo; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
