Bill proposes a state office to prevent corruption

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would create the Office for the Prevention of Corruption as a public entity with its own legal personality and independence, in charge of preventing, detecting, investigating and eradicating corruption and fraud involving public funds.
2. The Office would have five functions: awareness raising, prevention, investigation, evaluation and protection of whistleblowers. Its staff could enter public offices, conduct interviews and request banking information.
3. State administrations and entities would have to set up an internal corruption prevention system, with early warnings and their own plan, within one year of the law taking effect. Not having one would be a punishable offense.
4. Investigations would have to be opened or dismissed within two months of a complaint and could not last more than six months, extendable by another six in complex cases. If evidence of a crime appears, the case would go to the Public Prosecutor's Office or the judge.
5. The Office's director would be elected by the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) by a three-fifths majority, for a five-year non-renewable term, and must be someone with no party or union affiliation and more than ten years of experience.
6. Offenses would be classified as minor, serious or very serious, with fines from €500 up to €1,000,000 depending on the case, plus possible bans on contracting with the public sector or receiving public subsidies.

Who it affects

• The Government, the state administration and its public sector entities, which would have to create internal prevention systems and cooperate with the Office.: required to create prevention systems and cooperate
• Anyone receiving public aid, subsidies or contracts, including political parties, unions and companies, who could be investigated and sanctioned.: subject to investigation and sanctions
• Public officials and employees, who would have to report fraudulent practices they become aware of.: duty to report irregularities
• Any person, who could file complaints through the Office's mailbox and request that their identity be kept secret.: can report confidentially

Words worth knowing

Entidad de derecho público

A public entity with its own legal personality, meaning it can act on its own with its own rights and obligations.

Potestad sancionadora

The power of a public body to impose sanctions, such as fines, when the law is broken.

Prescripción

The maximum time limit for punishing an offense or enforcing a sanction; once it passes, no action can be taken.

Comisión de servicio

A temporary assignment of a civil servant to a position other than their usual one.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries