The Castellón Provincial Council and the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency sign a collaboration agreement

Press release

Last December the Castellón Provincial Council and the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency signed a collaboration agreement thanks to which the AVAF will collaborate with the Castellón Provincial Council and municipalities in their ethical transparency and corruption prevention policies, as well as in the preparation of anti-fraud plans.

It is the first agreement of its kind to be signed with a provincial council and it has also included training plans for both the council’s staff and the Castellón town councils.

“Unfortunately, the number of the Castellón Provincial Council has for many years been dotted with corruption that has been spoiling the image of our institution.” To prevent it from happening again, “we have been promoting actions to safeguard the institution and the public from possible corruption,” said Martí.

The president considers that “from the approved document the foundations of a more transparent administration and more committed to the fight against political and administrative corruption are laid.” The actions will be determined and evaluated in a coordination commission created expressly for this purpose.

 “The signing of this agreement with the Castellón Provincial Council represents the beginning of a collaboration between both institutions to work on the prevention and fight against fraud and corruption. From the Agency we want to help with the preparation of anti-fraud plans, as well as the construction of ethics and public integrity frameworks in compliance with the requirements derived from the entry into force of the European Directive 1937/2019 for the protection of persons who report corruption. ”, Declared Joan Llinares, director of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency.

The deadline for transposition of the European Whistleblower Directive ends without the Government of Spain having carried out the transposition work

Press release

València, December 17, 2021.- Today, December 17, the deadline for the transposition into the Spanish legal system of European Directive 1937/2019, for the protection of people who report violations of Union Law, better known as Directive Whistleblower.
The Government of Spain, through the Ministry of Justice, is in charge of the transposition work and had two years to adapt the content of the European Directive to Spanish law.
For this reason, the Valencian Antifraud Agency has issued an institutional statement with which it wants to warn of the breach of that deadline and the repercussions it has on having lost the opportunity to carry out a reform of the Spanish legal system that would allow fighting corruption in a more effective.
The Agency recalls that from this moment the Directive has direct effects and the courts and tribunals must make an interpretation in accordance with it and reiterates the need for the transposition to be carried out for what it offers its collaboration to the Ministry of Justice.
It also urges the creation of a national authority for the prevention and fight against corruption that works in coordination with the regional authorities and the modification of the legal system with special reference to criminal law and the protection of witnesses and experts.
It is also necessary to establish secure and confidential reporting channels that allow even anonymous reports, so that anyone can report possible crimes and actions constituting fraud and corruption.
The Institutional Declaration issued by the Agency makes a special mention of the recognition deserved by persons who report corruption, who must be effectively protected against possible reprisals, as well as recognizing their exemplary nature.

Here you can access the full content of the Institutional Declaration:

https://www.antifraucv.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/210617-Declaracion-Institucional-AVAF_Transposicion-Directiva_-2019-1937.pdf