1. Resources
  2. Corruption
  3. Anti-corruption authorities
  4. Anti-corruption authorities

Anti-corruption authorities

Article 6.1 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption establishes that “Each State Party shall, in accordance with the fundamental principles of its legal system, ensure the existence of a body or bodies, as appropriate, that prevent corruption” and goes on to state in Article 6.2 that “Each State Party shall grant the body or bodies referred to in paragraph 1 of this article the necessary independence”. Article 36 of the same instrument establishes under the title “Specialised authorities” that “Each State Party shall ensure the existence of a body or bodies or persons specialized in combating corruption through law enforcement.”

The United Nations Convention against Corruption is not the only instrument intended to ensure the existence of anti-corruption bodies and that these enjoy the independence they need (the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption of the Council of Europe for instance).

Consequently, in compliance with the international obligations subscribed to, the existence of preventive and investigative anti-corruption bodies (and hybrids) has been adopted by legislators in Europe and the world over.

The institutionalised models at the European level can be classified into three groups:

  • Multi-purpose agencies
  • Law enforcement type institutions
  • Preventive, policy development and co-ordination institutions).

In this section we include several European and international anti-corruption agencies, as well as some of the networks that these agencies have established to exchange experiences and expertise in the prevention and prosecution of corruption.

On July 17th, 2020, the I Summit against the structural causes of corruption was held in the Parliament of Catalonia, in accordance with Resolution 735/XII of the Parliament of Catalonia, on the fight against corruption. As a result of the Summit, it was agreed to create the Executive Commission for the deployment of the Work Plan, made up of three members appointed by the entities and two members representing the parliamentary groups.

Resolution 735/XII of the Parliament of Catalonia, on the fight against corruption (in Catalan)

Resolution 1127/XII of the Parliament of Catalonia, on structural, systemic and institutionalized corruption in Catalonia (in Catalan)

Reports

First report 2020-2021 of the Executive Commission for the deployment of the Work Plan [PDF] (in Catalan)

Second report 2020-2021 of the Executive Commission for the deployment of the Work Plan [PDF] (in Catalan)

Third report 2020-2021 of the Executive Commission for the deployment of the Work Plan [PDF] (in Catalan)

Two years after the celebration of the I Summit against the structural causes of corruption in 2020, on July 8th 2022 the II Summit against the structural causes of corruption was held in the Parliament of Catalonia, in accordance with Resolution 735/XII of the Parliament of Catalonia, on the fight against corruption.

Attendees approved 17 agreements where some of the pending ones from the First Summit were included and new ones were added. The new Work Plan was approved until the III Summit, and the change of name and composition of the Executive Commission for the deployment of the work plan, which is now called the Monitoring and Promotion Commission of the agreements and work plan of the II Summit (CSI).

The II Summit approves new measures against the structural causes of corruption (in Catalan)

Reports

First report 2022-2024 of the Monitoring and Promotion Commission (CSI -from its Catalan initials-) for compliance with the Work Plan [PDF] (in Catalan)