The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency signs a collaboration agreement with the College of Secretaries, Auditors and Treasurers (COSITAL) of Alicante

Press release

Valencia, May 30, 2023.- The president of the College of Secretaries, Auditors and Treasurers of the Local Administration of the province of Alicante (COSITAL-Alicante), Santiago Gómez; and the director of the Agency, Joan Llinares, have signed a collaboration agreement between both entities.

Among the planned collaborative actions are training activities in areas such as fraud and corruption prevention, integrity and public ethics, the protection of whistleblowers or reporting channels and anti-fraud plans.

Both institutions will also support each other in promoting a culture of good practices and rejection of fraud and corruption in the design, execution and evaluation of public policies, and in the management of public resources.

Likewise, they have committed to promote and disseminate a culture of ethics and public integrity and collaborate in the regulation and management of conflicts of interest.

If, within the framework of the COSITAL-Alicante agreement, it becomes aware of the existence of persons reporting corruption who suffer, or could suffer, reprisals as a result, COSITAL will inform the Agency so that it can grant them, where appropriate, protection.

Finally, COSITAL-Alicante will include in a visible place within its website, as well as in other media, the link to the Agency’s complaints mailbox from which any person can report any fact or irregularity constituting fraud and corruption that has been committed within the public administrations of the Valencian Community and that can provide evidence of it.

 

 

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency publishes an Integrity Manual for public officials

Press release

Valencia, May 26, 2023.- The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency has prepared a Manual that aims to help new public officials who are coming out of the elections to be held next Sunday, May 28.

The document wants to help those people who will assume responsibilities (regional and local) so that they can carry out their work with integrity in the main areas of action.

The Manual includes in one of its chapters how the transfer of powers should be prepared during the period of constitution of the new corporations that, if contentious-electoral appeals are not raised, will take place between May 27 and June 17.

In this period in which the so-called “ordinary administration” will continue to function normally, there are also other deadlines that must be met, such as the one established in the new Law 2/2023 for the protection of people who report corruption, which is set until 13 June for public administrations to implement their internal information systems (complaint channels). The term is extended until December 1 in the case of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

The Agency encourages this transfer of powers to also be a transfer of information from the state of the administration, to facilitate decision-making and planning, since the proper functioning of public services that affect citizens depends on this.Another aspect that the Manual includes is the one that refers to economic issues such as the dedication, remuneration and compensation of the members of local corporations; as well as gifts, gifts or the role played by lobbies or interest groups.

The Manual includes a set of possible risks in decision-making that may be contrary to integrity and which are divided into two large groups. On the one hand we find the so-called common risks where we find revolving doors, confusion of functions, information leaks and cyberattacks, unjust enrichment, legal and technological obsolescence or over or underrepresentation.

In a second group we find specific risks in areas such as contracting, urban planning, subsidies, human resources management, the budget or those related to the management of Next Generation funds.

Finally, the Manual includes a specific section on the implementation of integrity frameworks in public management as a tool to guarantee the good administration of our public institutions.

You can access the content of the Manual at this link:

The Hay Derecho Foundation joins the Consell de Participació of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency

Press release

Valencia, May 16, 2023.- The Consell de Participació of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency met in ordinary session and the Hay Derecho Foundation participated for the first time, which has joined as a member of the Agency’s participation body.

The Participation Council includes civic and social organizations, as well as individuals who stand out for their fight against fraud and corruption and for the promotion of ethics and public integrity.

In this meeting held at the headquarters of Les Corts Valencianes, the members of the Consell have been transferred the content of the Activity Report developed by the Agency during the year 2022.

The Report was presented on March 28 to the President of Les Corts, the Síndics and the members of the Mesa de les Corts, thus complying with the mandate contained in article 22 of Law 22/2016 on the creation of the Agency. Likewise, on April 19, the Report was also delivered to the President of the Generalitat.

Now it has been the turn of the Consell de Participació, and in this way, the people responsible for each of the areas of the Agency presented to the members of the Consell the activities and work carried out throughout the year 2022 responding to all the queries raised.

Once the Activity Report was exposed, the vice president of the Consell, Rafa Mauri, of the Observatori Ciutadà contra la Corrupció, proposed to the members of the Consell the organization of joint activities to involve the whole of society in the promotion and creation of ethics and public integrity, being summoned the members of the Consell to maintain contacts in this regard.

The Consell de Participació is made up  of the following organizations: Acción Cívica contra la Corrupción; Whistleblowers; Valencian Association of Consumers and Users (AVACU); Hay Derecho Foundation;  Baltasar Garzón International Foundation (FIBGAR); Foundation for Justice; Observatori Ciutadà contra la Corrupció (OCC); Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE); Plataforma Ciutadana Castelló per la Justicia i contra la Corrupció; Trade Union of Technicians of the Ministry of Finance (GESTHA); Tactical Whistleblowers; Transparency International Spain and World Compliance Association.