Valencia anti-fraud agency closes probe into hiring of official's partner

The Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency has closed its investigation into the temporary hiring of the partner of the president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, for a directorial secretary position within the Diputación de Valencia. The agency stated it found no "reasonable evidence of veracity" in the allegations that prompted the probe.

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there are no reasonable indications of veracity in the facts that have been the object of the complaint.

However, the agency's resolution, reported by Europa Press, did express reservations about the justification for the hiring. While the Diputación had cited "urgent need" for the role, which came with a gross annual salary of 52,070 euros, the agency deemed this requirement "doubtful." This doubt stemmed from the approximately six-month gap between the creation of the position on July 23, 2025, and the public announcement for its temporary filling on January 27, 2026.

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The creation of the position on July 23, 2025, without the call for temporary coverage by service commission being made public until January 27, 2026. The passage of approximately six months between the creation of the position and the start of the coverage procedure is difficultly reconcilable with the note of urgency that the precept requires, without any specific motivation justifying said delay being recorded in the file.

The agency noted that such a delay is "difficultly reconcilable with the note of urgency" typically required for such appointments, and no specific justification for the delay was found in the expediente. Despite this, the agency confirmed that the requirement for a public call was met, as the position was advertised on the Diputación's website on January 28, 2026.

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does not violate any legal provision, but responds precisely to the doctrine established by the Supreme Court in a ruling that expressly distinguishes between two figures of job provision: competition for merits, which requires a scoring system, regulated comparative assessment, evaluation bodies, and service commission, which is provisional provision.

Regarding the selection process itself, the agency found that the Diputación's protocol, which relies on an "suitability report" from the hierarchical superior rather than a points-based system, does not violate any legal provisions. This approach aligns with Supreme Court doctrine distinguishing between merit-based competitions and temporary service commissions. The agency also verified that the candidate met the necessary requirements, such as being a career civil servant in sub-group C1, noting that another candidate was excluded for failing to meet this criterion.

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although the call for a service commission does not require the formal requirements of a competition for merits, compliance with the requirements provided for in the job classification (RPT) and the suitability of the candidate must be verified, and both aspects are accredited.