Apr152026

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency contributes its 9 years of experience in whistleblower protection at the Meeting of Independent Whistleblower Protection Authorities (AIPI)

Barcelona, 15 April 2026.– The Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB), through its Compliance Section, has organised the Meeting of Independent Whistleblower Protection Authorities (AIPI), a conference that brought together heads of key institutions in the field of whistleblower protection to address the main legal and practical challenges arising from the application of current regulations.

 

The session was inaugurated by Jorge Navarro Massip, vice-dean of the ICAB, and Maria Tornos de Gispert, president of the Compliance Section of the Association, while Beatriz Montoya Moya, member of the ICAB Compliance Section, was in charge of closing the interesting meeting.     

 

Elena Lacalle Seres, head of Prevention and Whistleblower Protection of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, participated as a speaker in the round table on the practical application and interpretative criteria in critical issues of the regulation. It addressed key issues such as the notification of those responsible for the Internal Information Systems, the criteria for referring facts with possible criminal relevance to the competent authority and the importance of guaranteeing the confidentiality of both the procedure and the investigation, even when it reaches the courts.

 

In turn, this table has had the interventions of Manuel Villoria Mendieta, president of the Independent Authority for the Protection of Whistleblowers; Ignacio Sáez Hidalgo, director of the cabinet of said Authority; and Ricardo Pedro Ron Latas, deputy director general of the Galician Authority for the Protection of Whistleblowers.

 

The meeting highlighted that punishment should not be the axis of the system, but that prevention, training and accompaniment should be prioritised. However, in the face of reprisals against informants, the institutional response must be swift and firm.

 

The debate also focused on the legal regime, competences and institutional coordination of AIPIPs with contributions from Josep Tomàs Salàs Darrocha, director of the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia; Jesús María González García, president of the Transparency and Data Protection Council of Madrid; Francisco Sánchez Zamorano, director of the Andalusian Anti-Fraud Office; and Luis Gracia Romero, director of the Independent Authority on corruption of Castilla y León.

 

The conference, which brought together nearly 100 people, held at the ICAB headquarters, highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation between Independent Authorities throughout the territory is essential. Moving towards more structured coordination mechanisms is key to improving the effectiveness of the system.

Mar302026

The AVAF collaborates for the first time with the private sector in an information day on the Register of Heads of the Internal Information System

Valencia, 30 March 2026.- The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency (AVAF) participates for the first time in an Information Day for Heads of the Internal Information System, organised by the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV).

 

Law 11/2016, on the creation of the Agency, was amended by Law 5/2025, of 30 May, on fiscal measures, administrative and financial management, and organisation of the Generalitat, by which the Agency is constituted as an independent whistleblower protection authority in the Valencian Community and has the scope of application and functions provided for in Law 2/2023,  that is, it includes the private sector in its scope of action.

 

The Information Day for Heads of the Internal Information System is motivated by the regulatory requirement of the notification of the responsible person to the independent authority, both in the Valencian Community and in the State. The objective of the Conference was to publicize the functions of the Agency and the obligations of the private sector derived from Law 2/2023, especially those related to the Internal Information System, as well as the notification and Registration of the Head of the Internal Information System to the AVAF as an independent authority in the Valencian Community.

 

On 30 March, the Information Day was held at the CEV headquarters in Valencia, in which members participated both in person and online, with a total of 66 people, of which 40 were women (61%) and 26 were men (39%).

 

On behalf of the Agency, Marita Oliver, Training Technician of the AVAF, and Elena Lacalle, Head of Prevention and Protection of Whistleblowers, participated. The Conference began with a presentation on the Internal Information System and the person responsible for it, as well as the registration with the AVAF. Subsequently, the different questions and doubts of the attendees were discussed.

 

For more information on specialized training in integrity and corruption prevention, you can write to formacion@antifraucv.es

 

Mar302026

The director of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency delivers the 2025 Report to the president of Les Corts

Valencia, 30 March 2026.- The Agency for the Prevention and Fight against Fraud and Corruption of the Valencian Community (AVAF) has presented its 2025 Activity Report, a year in which the anti-fraud control system of the Valencian Community has been strengthened: the entry into force of Law 5/2025, which has consolidated the AVAF as the Independent Authority for the Protection of Whistleblowers (AIPI) of the Valencian Community.

 

Record number of complaints. During 2025, the AVAF registered the highest number of complaints in the Agency’s history: 845 cases; an increase of 49.8% compared to 2024. This figure alone represents a quarter of all complaints received by the Agency in its eight years of existence.

 

Shock Plan. To deal with this volume of complaints and also to deal with the accumulated unresolved files, the AVAF has implemented a Shock Plan aimed at reducing deadlines and optimising the operational load, ensuring a rigorous technical-legal analysis. The Shock Plan has slowed down the increase in complaints to be resolved in previous years, has reduced pending complaints by 40%, has raised the total cases definitively resolved to 81.4% and has reduced the time for analysing new complaints from 16 months to just one.

 

Profile of the investigations and anonymity. The local administration concentrates 56% of the complaints. The most reported matter continues to be human resources management with 264 cases. However, there is an increase in the category of individuals and the private sector according to Law 2/2023 as a result of the entry into force of Law 5/2025, of 30 May: complaints from this group account for 18% of cases (139), almost a fifth of the total.

 

Anonymity is confirmed as the main tool for filing complaints, accounting for 72% of complaints (566 cases). In addition, through the Complaints Mailbox, which guarantees encryption and confidentiality in a reinforced way, 712 of the communications received were channeled.

 

Whistleblower protection. Since its creation, the Agency has recognised the protection status of 37 people (36 natural and 1 legal), of which 30 will remain in force at the end of 2025. The AVAF, in 2025, has intervened in serious cases of institutional harassment, achieving the cessation of reprisals in sectors such as the instrumental public and the university. In addition, the Whistleblower Protection Statute has been strengthened, assuming the defense of the workers’ compensation of whistleblowers against possible retaliation.

 

Prevention and external projection. The paradigm shift, in the preventive field, entails the new capacity to carry out preventive consultations (Art. 5 bis), which allows officials and authorities to consult files in process, before a final resolution is issued, to help deactivate irregularities before they crystallize into administrative or criminal offenses.

 

The AVAF has strengthened its presence in global strategic forums in 2025 to turn integrity into a vector of transformation. These actions include: 1) the development of integrity metrics through the LOCRIiS project with the OECD; 2) the standardization of the fight against corruption through the Hague Declaration 2025 (EPAC/EACN), and 3) the harmonization of whistleblower protection in the NEIWA network.

 

Registry of Heads of the Internal Information System (RSII). The Registry of Heads of the Internal Information System (RSII) has 752 registrations from the private sector and 485 from the public sector.

 

Training and culture of public integrity. 3,190 people, mostly civil servants and university students, have participated in 55 activities of the Agency, during 212 teaching hours. 90% of all AVAF training since its creation has been concentrated in the last five years (2021-2025), consolidating its role as a factor of cultural change in Valencian administrations.

 

Democratic integrity and efficiency. The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, also converted into an Independent Authority for the Protection of Whistleblowers, has reinforced during 2025 the technical and professional foundations of its function of fraud control and prevention in the Valencian Community.

 

You can consult the 2025 Annual Report at the following link:

https://www.antifraucv.es/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Memoria_Avaf_2025_es.pdf