Oct212024

#DocuforumAVAF debuts in the 24 – 25 university year at the University of Valencia

València. October 17, 2024. Students from the “Instruments and Learning Techniques” course in the first year of the Economics degree at the University of Valencia (UV) were the first university participants in the #DocuforumAVAF activity of the 2024 – 2025 academic year, organized by the Training Service of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency (AVAF).

 

The most requested and agile training activity from AVAF brought together 129 students to debate the public perception of corruption and the justice delivered in cases of fraud investigated in public administration.

 

Anselm Bodoque, Acting Director of Prevention, Training, and Documentation and Head of the AVAF Training Service, led the two docuforums held on Thursday, October 17, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the UV. The goal was to debate and reflect with the students on the realities of fraud and corruption in public administration and the existing prevention tools.

 

The learning experience offered in #DocuforumAVAF consists of two parts. The first part involves the screening of the documentary “The Price of Whistleblowing” in the university classroom, followed by questions and discussions on the topic.

 

In the second part, AVAF staff, on a different day, present the main goals and functions of the institution in relation to the fight against fraud and corruption in the Valencian Community and engage in a debate with students about the importance of controls and civil society’s involvement.

 

AVAF’s participation in this training activity at the UV was made possible thanks to the collaboration, once again, of Loles Añon, course coordinator, along with Vicente Zamorano, Jorge Luis Latorre, and Vicente Baldoví, professors of the different groups.

 

AVAF continues its commitment to holding public debates with university students, as part of their training to take on future professional roles that contribute to civil society. For this reason, training actions that reinforce public ethics and the culture of prevention and fight against any conduct that fosters fraud and corruption are considered of great importance.

 

If you are a university, high school, or 4th-year ESO teacher in the Valencian Community and are interested in having the #DocuforumAVAF training activity take place in your classroom, do not hesitate to contact the Training Service of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency at formacion@antifraucv.es

Oct182024

The State of Transparency and Public Integrity in Local Entities of Valencia in 2024 Under Review at UJI

Castelló de la Plana – October 15, 2024. The Public Transparency Chair of the Universitat Jaume I de Castelló (UJI), together with the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency (AVAF), organized a conference focused on analyzing the transparency and public integrity of the transparency portals and websites of the municipalities in the Valencian Community in 2024.

 

On October 15, the auditorium of the Doctoral School and Social Council building at UJI hosted the two-hour event, with 160 people attending in person and online.

 

The event was opened by Marta Oller, a representative of the UJI Public Transparency Chair, and Anselm Bodoque, Acting Director of Prevention, Training, and Documentation and Head of the Training Service of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency. The Chair emphasized the importance of evaluations in strengthening public integrity in Valencia.

 

Anselm Bodoque, Head of the Training Service at AVAF, presented an in-depth analysis of the integrity system of local entities in the Valencian Community.

 

The core topic of the roundtable and subsequent colloquium was the reality of compliance with transparency and public integrity in Valencian local entities in 2024, which was discussed by several invited speakers:

 

– Jaime Clemente, Professor of Constitutional Law at UJI, presented the results of a 2024 study on the compliance with transparency and public integrity by local entities in the Valencian Community.

 

– Isaac Lara, local development agent at the Torreblanca City Council, addressed the challenges faced by small and medium-sized local entities (PYMEL) in meeting transparency and public integrity obligations.

 

– Pilar Moreno, a technician from AVAF’s Training Service, reflected on best practice strategies and recommendations for improving the integrity system’s visibility among local entities. Among the recommendations were the inclusion of outreach actions in the Anti-Fraud Measures Plan (PMA), involvement of all staff, incorporation of a communication plan in the code of ethics, and easier access to reporting information systems.

 

The event provided an opportunity to analyze the challenges faced by municipalities in terms of transparency and allowed for the identification of areas for improvement and concrete actions to advance the integrity and good governance of local administrations in the Valencian Community.

 

The Training Service of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency thanks the ongoing collaboration with the Universitat Jaume I de Castelló and their support in promoting public debate on transparency, integrity, anti-corruption prevention, and raising awareness of public ethics and a culture of rejection of fraud in the public sector, starting from the university classrooms.

 

If you wish to provide specialized training on public integrity and ethics for your public entity, feel free to write to formacion@antifraucv.es.

 

*See UJI’s press release here.

* Photos courtesy of Universitat Jaume I de Castelló.
 
Oct22024

AVAF training on public integrity policies and fraud risk prevention from IVAP

Valencia, 1st October 2024.- The Valencian Institute of Public Administration (IVAP) has counted, one more year, with training given by the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency (AVAF). The course ‘Public Integrity Policies and Fraud and Corruption Risk Prevention’, in its second edition, has been given in the online modality, with a duration of 20 hours and by public employees of the Agency itself.


The AVAF training, given in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Public Administration, the body responsible for the training policy of the personnel in the service of the different public administrations of the Valencian Community, focused on the institutional system against corruption in Spain and in the Valencian Community, the obligation to develop the Law 2/2023, together with the preventive tools of urgent implementation in public institutions.


The training session began on Tuesday 17 September with contributions from the Directorate of Legal Affairs on the protection of informants. Isabel Climent, lawyer of the AVAF, presented Law 2/2023, regulating the protection of persons who inform on regulatory infractions and the fight against corruption.


Araceli Chana, head of unit of the Directorate, explained the protection system developed by the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency.


On Thursday 19 September, the Directorate of Analysis and Investigation of the AVAF presented the regulation of the information systems included in Law 2/2023. Miguel Furió, Head of the Analysis and Investigation Service, showed the existence of internal and external channels and the Agency’s complaint management procedure.


Pilar Moreno, AVAF training technician, in the third session of the IVAP course, specified the need for public integrity plans in public institutions and presented the numerous risk prevention initiatives in public management.


The head of the Agency’s Training Service, Anselm Bodoque, developed the consequences of corruption and anti-fraud policies in the international, national and regional context in the session on Thursday 26 September.


The active participation of the students throughout the course culminated with the workshop on the ‘Price of alerting’ and the appropriate management of conflict of interest. Facilitated by Anselm Bodoque and Pilar Moreno, the gift and hospitality policy, as well as the importance of integrity training, allowed for a lively and enriching debate among the participants of the training action.