The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has conducted investigative measures on November 12 at Spain’s Ministry for Equality and its Court of Auditors (Tribunal de Cuentas) as part of a probe into the possible fraudulent use of EU funds for electronic monitoring bracelets used in gender-based violence cases.
The Madrid office of the EPPO, working with the Guardia Civil’s Central Operative Unit (Unidad Central Operativa, UCO), is examining funds allocated to the purchase of the devices, which track compliance with restraining orders and other protective measures.
The investigation was opened in 2025. No further details on the scope, the sums involved or any individuals under scrutiny have been released by the EPPO.
Spanish daily El Mundo and news agency EFE reported that UCO officers attended both institutions to request documentation related to the contracts.
The Court of Auditors confirmed the presence of officers at its premises in connection with a request for information from the EPPO.
The ministry has not disputed that the actions took place.
The contracts audited by the Court of Auditors date from 2018, 2021 and 2023 and total approximately €102.7 million, according to its report.
They have been partly financed since 2021 through the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, according to the court. The 2023 contract, worth some €42.6 million and awarded to a Vodafone–Securitas joint venture, according to Spanish media, is the only one linked to the relevant EU milestone, which requires the provision of at least 30,000 devices.
European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis said in November 2025, in a written answer to Spanish MEP Jorge Buxadé, that the acquisition of the electronic monitoring devices is listed as a milestone of the Spanish recovery plan and that compliance would be evaluated by Brussels in the context of Spain’s eighth request for payment.
Following a revision of the plan, Spain submitted its seventh and final payment request, worth €25.86 billion, on September 30. The Commission has until December 31 to make the disbursement.
Today, the EPPO in Madrid 🇪🇸 and @guardiacivil are conducting investigative measures at the Ministry for Equality and the Court of Auditors 🇪🇸 over possible fraud involving EU funds for the purchase of monitoring bracelets for gender-based violence.
More: https://t.co/a4DHE6jn0I pic.twitter.com/Jf3D64yjzY— European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) (@EUProsecutor) November 12, 2026
In a report approved on September 22, 2026, the Court of Auditors identified weaknesses in the preparation of the tenders, problems in the transition between service providers and “grave deficiencies” in the execution of the contracts. It also faulted the ministry’s subsequent monitoring of the service.
The court recorded at least 17 interruptions of the platform, the longest lasting 60 hours in September 2024. It found that a single penalty, of €25,285, had been imposed on the contractor.
The bracelets, known in Spain as pulseras antimaltrato or pulseras telemáticas, form part of the national system for protecting victims of gender-based violence.
Some 4,329 devices were active in April 2026, according to the Court of Auditors.
Earlier technical failures in the associated Cometa platform, including the loss of data during a change of contractor in 2024, led to cases being dropped and some defendants being acquitted because courts lacked reliable evidence of breaches of restraining orders, according to the State Attorney General’s Office.
The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) had previously flagged reliability problems to the ministry.
Equality Minister Ana Redondo said the ministry would offer “absolute collaboration”. “All the information required will be provided,” she said.
She stated that the funds had been “invested correctly”. Speaking at the launch of a campaign for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, she said “the lives of more than 4,000 women” depended on the devices. The ministry has previously maintained that the overall system functions as intended.
Under the current Socialist government, Spain has been hit with a series of corruption scandals involving senior figures and the use of public funds, including EU funds.
The EPPO is the independent EU body responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes against the Union’s financial interests. Its Spanish office has been active in several high-profile inquiries involving EU funds in recent months, including two separate probes into spending on the Madrid–Seville high-speed rail line.
No charges have been announced and the EPPO has not indicated when, or whether, the investigation will lead to indictments.
Concerns have been raised about the possible misuse of European Union funds, as it was revealed four corruption probes in Spain also received EU money. https://t.co/lNVkRFRQc4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 3, 2025
