The Valencian Antifraud Agency signs a collaboration agreement with the Office of Good Practices of the Barcelona City Council

Institutional relationships
Oct12018
Institutional relationships

On September 21, the signing of a new framework collaboration agreement was held in Barcelona on this occasion, between the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency and the Office of Good Practices of the Barcelona City Council.

This agreement continues with those already signed with the Anti-Fraud Agencies of the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. With the same objective, to better coordinate the existing Agencies in Spain.

Its purpose is to establish a permanent channel of communication and collaboration to improve the efficiency in the fulfillment of objectives of common interest and to be able to develop through protocols and specific agreements that have as their objective the prevention of corruption, the promotion of institutional integrity and transparency. 

Acess the agreement full text

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency joins the EPAC-EACN as a member

Institutional relationships
Dic122018
Institutional relationships
Rust. Austria. Conferència: EPAC – EACN, 18ª Conferència Anual Professional i Assemblea General.

More than 100 delegates representing 30 member countries attended the EPAC / EACN’s 18th Annual Professional Conference and General Assembly, which was organized by the Austrian Federal Office for the Fight against Corruption (BAK) and which took place from 22 to 24 October 2018 in Rust, Austria. Under the theme ‘Multiple challenges require interactive and sustainable solutions’, the conference focused on identifying innovative solutions that contribute to the success of prevention and the fight against corruption. The event also provided a valuable networking opportunity and laid the groundwork for further cooperation between the member organizations of EPAC (European Partners Against Corruption) and EACN (European Network of Contact Points against Corruption).

The conference was opened by Mr. Andreas Wieselthaler, President of EPAC / EACN and Director of BAK, and was attended by Ms. Karoline Edtstadler, Secretary of State of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, who emphasized that the presence of So many organizations at this year’s conference was “… a clear sign of the importance we all attach to improving the fight against corruption”.

The conference continued with interactive panel discussions and presentations on topics such as compliance and integrity in the context of preventing and combating corruption and developments at the international level. Speakers included high-ranking representatives from Europol, Interpol, OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office), GRECO (Council of Europe Group of States Against Corruption), TI (Transparency International), OMV, International IDEA and the BAK.

On the second day, representatives of member organizations made several interesting presentations on national and regional projects, there were parallel workshops on the topics “Human rights in the context of anti-corruption investigations”, “EU integrity project”, “Corruption in health care systems ”and“ Complaints systems ”, where participants had the opportunity to exchange experiences with their fellow members of anti-corruption authorities (ACA) and / or police oversight bodies (POB, and the results of the Groups were presented of Work EPAC / EACN.

During the General Assembly, applications for membership from five new authorities were accepted: the Bulgarian Commission for Anti-Corruption and Illegal Assets (CACIAF), the Office for the Prevention and Fight Against Corruption of the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Agency for Prevention and Fight against Fraud and Corruption, from Spain, the Irish Police Authority and the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and the Coordination of the Fight against Corruption (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The Sindicatura de Comptes and the Agència de Prevenció i Lluita contra el Frau i la Corrupció sign a collaboration protocol to improve the achievement of their common goals

Institutional relationships, Press release

Valencia, April 27 2020.– The Catalan Ombudsman, Vicent Cucarella, and the director of the Valencian Antifrau Agency, Joan Antoni Llinares, have signed a functional collaboration protocol to improve compliance with the objectives of common interest of both institutions. Thus, within the regulatory framework of application, they may act jointly in those cases in which, through mutual collaboration, they can increase the incidence of their respective activities in the prevention of fraud and corruption.

In this sense, it must be said that the two institutions exercise different but complementary functions that can be coordinated for this purpose. The Comptes Sindicatura is a statutory institution that exercises the supervisory function of the financial activity of the Valencian public sector, while the Valencian Antifrau Agency is entrusted with the functions of prevention and fight against fraud and corruption, through investigation and other actions other than inspection. However, this delimitation of competence is not an obstacle for each of the institutions to contribute to the better fulfillment of the functions attributed to the other.

Procedure of action

As for the action procedure that is established, a coordination committee has been created that will meet during the third four-month period of each year, in order to submit to the two institutions a joint proposal of certain actions to be carried out during the financial year. Next to improve fraud and corruption prevention.

By means of this protocol, the Comptes Syndicate may send to the Antifrau Agency the complaints it receives in which possible legal breaches are revealed, in order for it to carry out the appropriate investigations, all without prejudice to the audit function. of the Receivership and of the reports that, as a result of it, must be sent to the Court of Auditors and its Office of the Prosecutor. In addition, if the supervisory body is aware of the existence of people who denounce or report facts or behaviors that may constitute fraud or corruption and suffer reprisals as a result, it will notify the Agència Valenciana Antifrau of this circumstance so that this grants them, where appropriate, the protection that by law corresponds to them.

Satisfaction on both sides

The representatives of both institutions have been satisfied with this new path that they are undertaking together. As the Síndic Major de Comptes, Vicent Cucarella, has indicated, “this protocol shows an adequate collaboration between both institutions, already provided for in the respective laws and regulations, which benefits the public sector and the public.” For his part, the director of the Antifrau Agency, Joan Antoni Llinares, has pointed out in this regard: “The risks of corruption increase in times of crisis. Collaboration between institutions and control bodies is more essential than ever for the optimal management of situations as extraordinary as the ones we are experiencing. The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic can also be an opportunity to make a qualitative leap in integrity and good governance policies.”

In addition to the fraud and corruption prevention functions, this collaboration protocol will also serve to share knowledge and experiences in this area, to promote institutional integrity and transparency, as well as to share work methodologies. In this sense, the text also contemplates that training activities, internal and external, or any others that allow achieving objectives of common interest can be carried out jointly.

Official Press Release.

27.04.2020

Download official Press release

Download signed Collaboration protocol