Anti-Fraud Office to Review 32 Equala Contracts

Investigation Covers Five Years of Contracts

The Office of the Anti-Fraud of Catalonia (Oficina Antifrau de Catalunya) has admitted to a preliminary review a dossier filed by transparency group Iguadata concerning 32 public procurement procedures at Igualada Town Hall. The review, confirmed in a resolution dated 27 August 2026, follows allegations of repeated use of minor contracts and potential fragmentation of larger service packages. According to data cited by Igualada News, contracts awarded over five years may amount to more than €800,000. The Anti-Fraud Office has not confirmed any irregularities but stated the complaint contains sufficient concrete elements to justify a preliminary evaluation. The probe will assess whether practices such as repeated use of minor contracts, possible non-public negotiated procedures for an annual sports event, and alleged links between awarded firms indicate a systemic pattern contrary to public procurement law.

Claims of Legal Compliance

Igualada Town Hall has issued a statement defending its conduct. It asserts that its administration has operated with "strict compliance with legality and scrupulous respect for public contracting regulations". The council added that, as of the publication of the report, it had not received formal notification or any information request from the Anti-Fraud Office. The admission of the dossier does not imply wrongdoing. The Anti-Fraud Office clarifies that this initial phase is for verifying the consistency of the facts and may lead to a formal investigation only if clear evidence of misconduct emerges.

This government has acted with strict compliance with legality and scrupulous respect for public contracting regulations.

Primary sources: Exa, igualada.cat. Reported by igualadanews.cat, diaridetarragona.com, iguadata.cat, contractaciopublica.cat, contratos.gobierto.es, europapress.es, selltostate.com, Regió 7.