What are asset recovery and management offices? Its function is to assist judicial bodies and prosecutors in the location, recovery, conservation, administration and realization of the effects, goods, instruments and profits from criminal activities committed within the framework of a criminal organization and in the most economic crimes. serious.
The intervention of these Offices is aimed at locating and recovering assets resulting from crime, for their delivery to the courts, with a view to their future confiscation. The ultimate objective is to deprive crime of illicitly obtained profits and, after the corresponding compensation to the victims has been satisfied, part of the confiscated amounts revert to society in projects to help victims and fight organized crime.
For this, asset investigation is essential. Locating assets in and outside of Spain, both those that are in the name of the investigated persons (nominal ownership) and those for which there are indications of having hidden their real ownership. For this purpose, these Offices access multiple national databases and exchange asset information with similar international organizations and, particularly, with other asset recovery offices.
In Valencia the asset recovery office had similar functions, being very focused on the recovery of assets derived from public and political corruption crimes. Its activity was carried out by some members (always the same, but not in number) of the General Attorney's Office of the Generalitat, who were permanently assigned to this office. As a particularity, there was no specific physical place of work for this. Fully functional. Practical and without added costs. Being a mirror (or trying to be) of the ORGA, Office of Asset Recovery and Management dependent on the Ministry of Justice. Wherever there was a judicial case where the Generalitat could be harmed, the VALENCIAN ORGA was there to recover it.
On the other hand, it might seem, a priori, that it was a “cosmetic political” creation. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. This office recovered more than 8 million for the public coffers and had another 4 million pending to be deposited, already recovered when it was closed. With the pending actions and cases, 8 million more could be recovered. A recovered potential of around €20M. All this at no additional cost. Not bad, right? So why has the Valencian ORGA been closed, with “puenticity” and treachery?
The Valencian government closed the office on August 14, in the middle of the August long weekend. In one fell swoop he defended his decision by saying that what has been done is to “depoliticize” the recovery of corruption funds in order to, acting “professionally,” reach “all” cases. The head of the Consell insisted that “there is no elimination, what we have done is depoliticize it,” by transferring its functions to the Generalitat Attorney's Office. “Here we must recover anything that is the heritage of Valencians, including any matter related to the president's brother (alluding to Francis Puig, brother of former president Ximo Puig) or with the COVID materials that some forgot to claim.” “It has to be done for everyone and with professionalism.”
The leaders of the popular party have never managed with ease and success the cases of corruption that their party has suffered in recent years, which have been many and varied. A heavy backpack that seems to be inherited and they don't know how to get it off their back. When it's really simple, you just have to face corruption and look it in the eyes and not hide. Both in cases where there is a final conviction, and in cases that have been archived by the justice system, which are many, by the way, and they are still waiting for their party to rehabilitate them or simply receive a phone call of support. Well not even that.
The closure of this office is another example of inadequate management in the fight against corruption, where specialization and exclusive dedication is key to its mitigation. In addition, these types of organizations, by themselves, send a message to citizens that the institutions do everything possible to recover our distracted money. Professionally, this closure is not understandable. An office that does not cost you money and that recovers €8M (with a potential of up to 20), that gives you political notoriety and publicity (the good kind) in every euro cent you recover, I repeat, its closure is inexplicable. And the justifications given do not seem very valid to me, especially about depoliticizing the agency, and then politicizing it with their closing arguments. Very political and unprofessional.
It would be serious if the public's perception was that this closure was due to the fact that they were investigating and making arrangements in matters solely of the popular party and that of investigating “my corrupt people”…. On the other hand, something normal, since the popular party has governed the community for a long time and has had in its ranks people with deviant (criminal) social behavior. This is demonstrated by the countless convictions (and cases) in this regard.
The only way we can compensate the corrupt (besides putting them in jail) is by taking away the money they have stolen from us and this is complex, it is not simple, since the “bad guys” move it, transform it into personal property and real estate, jewelry, paintings, they create companies, etc., or they take it to other countries and you have to be very careful, and this office with all its limitations did it. He identified it, followed it and reported it to the relevant court.
In short, one (more) lost opportunity, for the popular party to remove that heavy backpack that it carries on its back regarding the fight against corruption. Nothing is simpler than continuing with the agency, strengthening it, providing it with more resources, regulating it by expanding its investigative and action powers. And of course, investigate whoever harms the interests of the Valencian people, whatever their name, but not by closing it.
