Apr202023

#DocuforumAVAF is back at High School Joan Fuster de Sueca

#TrainingAVAF

Sueca. – April 20, 2023.

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency once again visits the capital of the Ribera Baja, Sueca, and the IES Joan Fuster, thanks to the #DocuforumAVAF activity.

On this occasion, the learning experience has been carried out with the students of the optional subject “Legal and Democratic Culture” in the first year of high school, with the collaboration of Professor Valentina Inglada.

The #DocuforumAVAF activity consists of two parts, in the first one, the students watch in the classroom, together with the teacher, the documentary “Corruption: harmful organism” on Pandora Box TV. In this way, they approach the testimonies of informants of corruption in the public sector and the reprisals they suffered for this reason.

On Thursday, April 20, Pilar Moreno, a training technician, and Jesús Chinchilla, head of the research team, personnel at the service of the AVAF, visited the IES Joan Fuster to share with the students of the 1st year of high school, the objectives and functions of the AVAF and resolve the doubts and questions of those present.

Pilar Moreno explained to the students the Valencian institutional system for promoting integrity and fighting corruption and the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, created by “Les Corts” in response to the UN mandate through the United Nations Convention against Corruption of 2003, ratified by Spain in 2006.

For his part, Jesús Chinchilla shared the tool of the AVAF reporting channel, through which it is possible to present information anonymously.

The difficulties in reporting a case of corruption and how to stop it have been some of the questions asked by the students participating in the training activity.

The Valencian Antifraud Agency through #DocuforumAVAF has the opportunity to show in the classrooms of schools, institutes and universities throughout the Valencian Community the work of promoting integrity and public ethics, as well as the protection of informants of corruption of the AVAF.

If you are a university, high school or 4th ESO teacher in the Valencian Community and you are interested in having the training activity “Docuforum: Corruption, harmful organism” carried out in your classroom, do not hesitate to contact the training service of the Valencian Antifraud Agency through training@antifraucv.es

Apr192023

The State Network of Anti-Fraud Offices and Agencies meets in Seville to analyze the application of the new Law 2/2023 on the protection of people reporting corruption

Seville, April 18,   202 3.- The XII Meeting of the Network of Anti-Fraud Offices and Agencies held on April 17 and 18 in the Parliament of Andalusia has aimed to analyze the common challenges posed by the application of Law 2/2023,  of February 20, on the protection of people who report on regulatory infractions and the fight against corruption,  after its entry into force on March 13.

The authorities present at the meeting have addressed different aspects of the aforementioned law ranging from the scope of application of the norm and its fit with the current regional regulations, to the sphere of rights of the complainant, through the functions of the future Independent Authority for the Protection of the Informant (AAI).

As a result of the joint analysis carried out during the two days of work, it  has been verified the need to establish coordination mechanisms to avoid that the application of the new law supposes a reduction in the level of protection of the informant in the territories where it was already guaranteed by the current regional and local regulations in the fight against corruption.

This firm commitment to promote active cooperation between all the competent institutions in the fieldwill serve to clarify issues related to the adaptation of regional regulations to the  Law, so as to guarantee a homogeneous application of the same and contribute to a greater effectiveness of the measures planned for the protection of citizens,  as well as to optimize the use of public resources.

Another aspect under discussion has been the configuration and functions of the new Independent Authority for the Protection of Informants (AAI), a state-wide body whose new creation should not limit the capacity of action of the rest of regional and local authorities.

In this sense, the Network considers it essential to join forces towards a real coordination of competences in order to ensure a coordinated and effective response at all levels of administration regardless of their field of competence.

This meeting, organized by the Andalusian Office against Fraud and Corruption (OAAF), was attended by representatives of the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia (OAC); the ValencianAntifrau Agency (AVAF); the Office of Good Practices and Anti-Corruption of Navarra; the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption  in the Balearic Islands (OAIB); the Directorate of Analysis Services, the managing body of the Ethics and Good Governance Mailbox of Barcelona City Council; the Municipal Office against Fraud and Corruption of the Madrid City Council; the National Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (SNCA); the Independent Office of Regulation and  Supervision of Contracting; the National Commission of Markets and Competition and the Consello de Contas de Galicia (Observer).

Apr182023

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency participates in the Forum for Transparency in Public Procurement of the Local Administration

#TrainingAVAF

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency participated, on April 17, in the “Forum on transparency in public procurement of the Local Administration” held in Madrid, promoted and organized by the Laboratorio de la Contratación, in collaboration with the Madrid City Council.

One of the main reasons for holding this Forum was to address, from a purely practical sphere, the most relevant aspects and challenges of local public procurement, both from the perspective of Local Administration and private operators, as well as, the formulas and tools available to be able to undertake it and provide citizens with services of the highest possible quality.

In the Forum, the legislative news and the news of the risk areas in terms of local public procurement were presented, the preparation of the Check list as an essential tool for the preparation of the specifications, underfinancing and increased costs of contracting will be discussed. local government, as well as the detection and correction of fraud, corruption and conflicts of interest in the local Administration.

It was attended by speakers with extensive knowledge in the field such as contracting specialists, elected directors, general secretaries and presidents who are part of organizations such as Advisory Councils, the Administrative Court of Contracts, or the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency.

The inaugural session of the Forum was in charge of Mrs. Silvia Saavedra – Councilor for Territorial Coordination, Transparency and Citizen Participation in the Madrid City Council.

The representative of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, Mrs. Irene Bravo Rey, shared a table with Mr. Alfonso Arévalo Gutiérrez, President of the Administrative Court of Contracts of the Madrid Assembly, and Mrs. Sara Aranda Plaza, General Coordinator of Districts, Transparency and Citizen Participation in Madrid City Council, and focused his intervention on the issues that were raised, among which it is worth highlighting the list of the main risks contrary to the structure that usually arise during the life of a contract (conflict of interest, abuse of the figure of unjust enrichment, lack of planning of the contractual activity or lack of transparency) highlighting that such risks and factors may be useful for each institution to prepare its own catalogs or self-assessment of risks.

She stressed the collaboration protocols that are being signed between the AVAF and certain Valencian public institutions, to facilitate compliance with state and regional legal obligations (especially those of the new Law 2/2023 on informants and the Autonomous Law of the Community of Valenciana of Transparency and Good Governance), contributing to the implementation in each entity of separate integrity frameworks.

Her speech ended by recalling that the public service mission of any public entity is the achievement of the general interest, and must protect all kinds of public funds from any kind of irregularity, and not limit itself to protecting only funds from the EU from eminently criminal irregularities, articulating preventive frameworks as content of its own integrity plan and/or plan of anti-fraud measures. For this reason, he pointed out, the Agency approved the AVAF Guide: The Public Integrity Plan: Roadmap and Facilitating Annexes which, together with other materials, can be consulted on its website.