In 2018 the Spanish notariat held two events with a broad public impact. Because of its social and economic significance, the first mention is for the international forum “Crimes of a financial nature: Collaboration of the Notariat in Prevention and Prosecution”, organised in collaboration with the International Union of Notaries (UINL). The event drew experts from major international organisms and institutions such as the United Nations, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office and Europol.
The forum looked at the effort Spanish notaries have made in money laundering prevention. “Spanish notaries are the role model for money laundering prevention and the CGN’s Centralised Prevention Body is famous for its work on identifying beneficial owners,” said Marconi Costa, Executive Secretary of the GAFILAT Financial Action Task Force of South America. Javier Martínez Sanchiz, Legal Officer at the United Nations Security Council, argued that the money laundering prevention system put in place by Spanish notaries “should be imitated by other notariats and sectors”.
The forum conclusions will help the UINL to present concrete proposals to the FATF, in order for it to consider proposing a specific regulatory framework for global collaboration in preventing these crimes for more than 300,000 notaries across 88 countries.
The second event was part of the commemoration of the Spanish Constitution, which celebrated its 40
th anniversary in December, entitled The Protection and Equality of Individuals in the Constitution. The event was structured into four round tables addressing the protection and equality of four vulnerable groups (people with disabilities, the elderly, women and children), their areas of action, achievements and pending issues. The main conclusion reached by the participants is that the Spanish Constitution must be reinforced to meet the needs of the most vulnerable groups.
