Criminal Compliance Lawyer in Valencia

Since 2015, Spanish law holds companies criminally liable for offenses committed by their directors or employees (Art. 31 bis Criminal Code). Penalties include fines of up to 5× the benefit obtained, dissolution, suspension of operations, or judicial intervention.

The only effective defense is demonstrating that your company had an effective compliance program in place that meets the legal requirements. For businesses in Valencia — particularly in the ceramics, agri-food, textile, and construction sectors — this is no longer optional.

Additionally, Spain's Ley 2/2023 (Whistleblower Protection Law) now requires all companies with 50+ employees to maintain an internal reporting channel. Non-compliance carries fines of up to €1,000,000.

We design sector-specific compliance programs tailored to the risks of each Valencian industry:

• Ceramics (Castellón): Anti-money laundering compliance, fiscal controls, and international trade risk management.
• Agri-food (Ribera/Huerta): Labour compliance (seasonal workers), VAT in exports, and environmental regulation.
• Construction & real estate: Anti-money laundering in property transactions, occupational health & safety, and planning law.
• Technology & startups: Data protection (GDPR), intellectual property, and fiscal compliance for high-growth companies.
• Hospitality & tourism: AML obligations, labour compliance, and consumer protection.

The Ley 2/2023 requires all companies with 50+ employees to maintain a confidential internal reporting channel that allows employees to report irregularities anonymously. Companies with 50-249 employees can share the channel with other companies in their sector — particularly useful for Valencia's industrial clusters.

Our implementation service includes: technology platform selection, appointment of the responsible officer, internal investigation protocol, staff training, and periodic review to ensure ongoing compliance.