The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has broadened its probe into suspected fraud connected to EU agricultural aid, with a reported sum of 400,000 euros under scrutiny. The investigation now touches several major farming organizations in Spain, notably COAG in Granada, Huelva, and Seville (Andalusia), along with related groups linked to COAG: JARC (Young Farmers I Ramaders) in Catalonia, Unió de Pagesos de Mallorca, and Unión Agroganadera de Álava-Arabako Nekazarien Elkartea (UAGA). All of these bodies are tied to a lawsuit that began in 2021.
The procedures under examination do not allow for popular accusation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and legal entities may participate only as interested parties rather than as formal accusers.
In November 2021 the tax authority, led by Concepción Sabadell, acknowledged a degree of secrecy surrounding the case. This stance was later confirmed by the court, with the National Court’s No. 1 Central Education Court upholding the protective measure a few days afterward.
secretly
Several agricultural groups publicly opposed the secretive approach to the investigation, sending a letter to the Criminal Division of the National Court on April 10 urging transparency.
Nevertheless, the Criminal Division of the National Court dismissed the appeal, ruling it inadmissible. The court explained that the regulations do not permit challenging the decision to verify the secrecy as disclosed by the European Prosecutor’s Office.
Confidentiality of the proceedings remained in place for about a year. With a decree-law dated December 19, 2022, the case moved onto the formal agenda, and participants gained in-person access to the trial from that date onward.
In February, national police authorities conducted two searches targeting COAG’s national headquarters in Madrid and its Andalusian regional center, investigating potential fraud involving the 400,000 euro aid. COAG representatives expressed surprise and concern over the newly released investigation details, noting that after more than a year and a half of inquiries they had not been informed of any irregularities. They argued the case centers on a single aid of 33,000 euros tied to housing for foreign workers on farms. A COAG spokesperson declined to comment.
in Mallorca
Editorial coverage from Diario de Mallorca, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, indicated that twenty aid dossiers reviewed by Unió de Pagesos of COAG in the Balearic Islands could involve misrepresented files connected to seasonal worker employment. The documents were processed on Mallorca and pertain to accommodations for seasonal laborers during grape harvests and other fruit and vegetable picking periods. Sebastià Ordinas, Secretary General of Unió de Pagesos, stated that his union did not receive any of this aid and that payments were directed to COAG. His comments underscored that the union’s role was to verify proper housing conditions for workers on farms.
in the Canary Islands
Vozpópuli further reported that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has continued its inquiry among Canarian farmers. The investigation seeks to determine whether aid funds were improperly obtained with possible government involvement. Officials have collected statements from individuals linked to the initial complaint, including a public administrator who warned of irregularities in certain cases where compliance with the declared business plan was questionable. Reports indicate that in some instances the claimed business volume did not reflect reality and that pensioners were among the workers listed as employed on the farms.