The Economic and Financial Crimes Unit of the National Police, known as UDEF, made a coordinated set of arrests totaling 23 individuals as part of an ongoing inquiry tied to suspected fraud in European Union agricultural subsidies. The European Anti-Fraud Prosecutor’s Office, which is handling the investigation on behalf of the EU, issued a report on Thursday detailing allegations that a network spanning four Andalusian cities engaged in illicit activity connected to funding disbursed under the Common Agricultural Policy.
The enforcement action occurred over two days, September 25 and 26, and targeted suspects in Córdoba, Seville, Écija, and Jerez de la Frontera. Authorities also received authorization to seize several bank accounts and multiple properties linked to those under investigation, reflecting the scope of the probe and the bid to secure assets that might have originated from or been used to facilitate the alleged fraud.
According to the European Anti-Fraud Prosecutor’s Office, the individuals detained were connected to applicants in the EU’s subsidy framework. The objective of the Common Agricultural Policy is to allocate land for lease to satisfy surface-area requirements, enabling the receipt of subsidies. However, the investigation suggests that some lessees did not hold ownership rights to the land they listed in applications, calling into question the legitimacy of the claims used to secure payments.
The public statement from the office describes a “complex criminal system” involving a network of several companies. It is alleged that forged contracts were used to transfer the right to use land, with the true owners unaware that their lands were being employed in a fraudulent scheme to obtain EU funds.
Estimates place the financial impact on Europe’s budget at around three million euros. Those detained face provisional charges of subsidy fraud and document forgery as the network continues to be scrutinized by authorities.
The broader inquiry traces back to a 2022 complaint filed with the investigation authorities by the United States Department of Agriculture, through the government channels of the Andalusian administration. This trigger helped initiate a process that now spans multiple jurisdictions and involves several cooperating agencies, with the goal of ensuring accountability for any misappropriated subsidies and safeguarding the integrity of EU agricultural support programs.