The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency meets in Brussels with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

Press release

Valencia, 27 February 2023.- The  Director of the Agency, Joan Llinares, accompanied by the Director of Analysis and Research, Gustavo Segura, and the  Deputy Director and Legal Services, Teresa Clemente, met in Brussels with technical and management staff of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

This meeting has allowed to strengthen the  channels of collaboration between both institutions that will materialize in aspects such as the training of  their staff, the exchange of  information, as  well as the sharing of  experiences and good practices in investigative work or the protection of whistleblowers of corruption.

In recent years the Agency has carried out research actions in the Valencian Community in coordination with OLAF regarding the granting of European subsidies to different institutions and public administrations.

OLAF is the European Anti-Fraud Office created in 1999 by the European Parliament to combat fraud, corruption and other activities affecting the EU budget including irregularities within the European institutions.

The Director of the Agency, Joan Llinares, said that “this meeting has shown the  support  by OLAF for the work done by the Agency’s staff in those institutions in which it has requested collaboration”.

“In addition, the relationship between both institutions will intensify in the coming months with the exchange of experiences, training actions and agile and effective communication channels between the staff of the different areas of both institutions that will undoubtedly result in the work that is done on a day-to-day basis,” added Llinares.

The European Commission publishes its Manual of Good Anti-Corruption Practices and recognises the AVAF as one of the best experiences in the fight against fraud and corruption

Press release

The aim of this Handbook is to map the different anti-corruption practices implemented in the different offices and agencies of the member states of the European Union that have proven useful in solving problems related to corruption and that can inspire similar initiatives in other countries.

For this purpose, an established or innovative anti-corruption good practice was selected, with aspirations of positive impact in each EU Member State, and grouped into eight types of anti-corruption approaches. The Handbook is structured along these identified types.

Each chapter consists of a theoretical part on the respective type of anti-corruption approach and is illustrated with corresponding case studies. To ensure transferability, the analysis of the case studies focuses on the mechanisms of implementation, the estimated costs of such a practice, and its results and limitations.

This Handbook has been a collaborative effort between the Ecorys research team and the Local Corruption Investigation Correspondents (LRCC) in eachMember State and  gathers the best experiences and initiatives launched by all European agencies dedicated to preventing and combating fraud and corruption.

The European Commission has selected the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency and you can access the information referred to in the Manuto the Good Practices specifically in section 8.2.2 page 182 and ss.

You can consult the manual at the following link:

Manual de Buenas Prácticas en la Lucha contra la Corrupción

Joan Llinares: “The Valencian Parliament was 7 years ahead of the new State Law for the Protection of Persons Accusedof Corruption”

Press release

Valencia, 21 February 2023.  This morning, Law 2/2023 regulating the protection of people who report on regulatory and anti-corruption infractions was published in the Official State Gazette.

With the approval of this Law, the Government of Spain complies with the transposition into Spanish law of Directive 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, whose deadline ended on December 17, 2021.  This directive is known as the Whistleblower Directive.

Among the novelties of this law is the obligation for both public administrations and the private sector to establish both internal and external reporting channels, as well as the establishment of support and protection measures for people reporting corruption.

With regard to reporting channels, the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency  launched the external complaints channel at the beginning of 2018 and since then it has received more than 1,000 complaints. In November 2022, the Agency was invited to explain to the experts  of the European Commission  the functioning of its complaints box and what had been the experience during these years in the management of it.

At the moment the Agency is the only authority in Spain that has an active and developed Statute for the Protection of Whistleblowers of Corruption. At the end of 2017 the Agency protected a whistleblower for the first time and at the moment there are 29 people who  are protected, which  join the several hundred who over the years have received legal advice from the Agency.

Another of the novelties contemplated by this Law is the creation  for the first time in Spain of an Independent Administrative Authority for the protection of complainants with competence throughout the national territory.

It should be remembered that the Valencian parliament anticipated this state regulation with the approval of Law 11/2016 by which the  Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency is created as the competent regional authority in the field of prevention and fight against corruption.

In addition to the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, there are other competent regional authorities in Spanish territory, such as the Antifrau Office of Catalonia; the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption in the Balearic Islands; the Andalusian Office against Fraud and Corruption and the Office of Good Practices and Anticorruption of the Autonomous Community of Navarre.

The Law states that the State has undertaken to develop,  together with  the communities to use, a  National Strategy to Combat Corruption within a maximum period of eighteen months from the entry into force of the law.

The director of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, Joan Llinares, has declared that “we must congratulate ourselves because the Spanish State has regulated a matter that is fundamental for the fight against corruption such as the protection of whistleblowers and where the Valencian Community  was the only territory where until now it was possible. The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency was 7 years ahead of this new State Law”.

“This Law reinforces our regional law and also extends beyond the scope of public administrations also applying to the private and commercial sphere, which is important to improve the prevention and fight against corruption in all areas of our society,” added Llinares.

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

https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2023/02/21/pdfs/BOE-A-2023-4513.pdf