Spanish police raid rail agency Adif and arrest six in probe of kickbacks on public works contracts
Spain's Guardia Civil detained six people on Nov. 5 and took contract files from rail infrastructure agency Adif Alta Velocidad in a new, sealed branch of the Koldo case that targets suspected kickbacks on public works awards. Agents also collected documents from contractor Azvi in Seville.
Agents of the Guardia Civil's Central Operative Unit (UCO) worked in Madrid, Córdoba, Valencia and Seville on orders from National Court judge Ismael Moreno and with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, The Objective reported. They carried away contracting files from Adif Alta Velocidad in Madrid, picked up documents at the Seville headquarters of builder Grupo Azvi and searched the Valencia home of former transport minister José Luis Ábalos. All six detainees were released the same day, EFE reported. The case is under seal, so the specific accusations against each person have not been made public.
One of those detained is a Córdoba businessman who drove Pedro Sánchez around during the 2017 Socialist primaries. El Debate reported that the latest UCO report to the judge says his role around the Transport Ministry may have earned him up to €100,000, a sum that commission agent Víctor de Aldama wrote next to his first name in 2020. Testifying as a witness in September in a separate fuel-fraud case, the businessman said none of his ventures with Aldama ever went ahead, according to The Objective.
The new file splits off from the inquiry into alleged bribes for public works awards, in which Moreno was already investigating about 15 people, including Ábalos, former Socialist organization secretary Santos Cerdán and former Adif president Isabel Pardo de Vera. Ábalos is in prison on a 24-year Supreme Court sentence from the face-mask procurement case.
Azvi told EFE it was cooperating and that the review would let it prove its work was sound. The Objective reported that Azvi held 25% of joint ventures that won Adif contracts worth €21 million in 2021 and €26.8 million in 2024 to renew switches on a stretch of the Madrid to Seville high-speed line that includes Adamuz, where a train crash killed 46 people. Investigators are checking whether any suspect awards involve the track where the Adamuz and Urda crashes happened, the paper said.
Why it matters: Bidders on Spanish rail work should expect Adif awards from the Ábalos years, and any meetings between contractors and ministry aides, to be examined as evidence. Keep tender files and meeting records in order.
Sources
- La UCO detiene al exchófer de Sánchez y registra ADIF y la casa de Ábalos en ValenciaThe Objective, Nov 5
- Los investigadores detienen al exchófer de Sánchez por su presunto papel en los amaños de obra pública en AdifEl Debate, Nov 5
- La UCO registra las instalaciones de Adif Alta Velocidad y detiene a Cristian Corvillo, el chófer de Pedro Sánchez en las primarias de 2017Infobae, Nov 5
- La Guardia Civil deja en libertad a los seis detenidos en la nueva pieza del 'caso Koldo'The Objective, Nov 5
- La UCO acude a la sede de Azvi en Sevilla para requerirle documentación por el 'caso Koldo'The Objective, Nov 5
- La UCO indaga si los amaños en ADIF guardan relación con los accidentes de Urda y AdamuzThe Objective, Nov 5