MADRID, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -
The State Attorney General's Office has signed an agreement with banking associations that aims to prevent "economic abuses, scams or fraud" of which elderly people and people with disabilities in vulnerable situations can be victims.
The protocol establishes a direct communication channel between the bank branch and the competent Prosecutor's Office, to alert of suspicious operations in the accounts of vulnerable clients and request judicial measures to protect their assets.
In this sense, the protocol has been signed at the headquarters of the Bank of Spain by the Prosecutor of the Disability and Elderly Chamber, María José Segarra, on behalf of the Prosecutor's Office, and the representatives of the banking associations, specifically, the Association Española de Banca (AEB), the CECA employers' association and the National Union of Credit Cooperatives (Unacc).
Specifically, the protocol articulates fluid communication between banks and the territorially competent prosecutor's offices.
This collaboration system will allow immediate alerting of financial movements and economic provisions that may have been detected and that endanger the assets of these people, when there are suspicions of the existence of fraudulent interests, undue influences or captive wills.
In these cases, the banking entity will bring the matter directly to the attention of the corresponding Prosecutor's Office so that it can evaluate the case and promote, if deemed necessary, the adoption before the court of precautionary measures that immediately protect the assets of the affected person.
"This protocol takes advantage of the knowledge that banking entities have of both their clients and their usual operations, to the extent that they can detect abnormal operations and withdrawals of money in the usual operations of these users," explained María Segarra.
The speed in identifying these situations and in adopting precautionary measures is a key factor that is enhanced by the signed agreement, allowing judicial intervention to be accelerated and thus minimizing the risk of looting of the accounts or income of those affected.
"Protecting the money that these people have so that it is available for their present and future needs is essential to guarantee their right to health and emotional tranquility," Segarra highlighted.
In addition to these actions, the Court Prosecutor has stressed that the alert from the banking entities will also serve so that the prosecutor's offices can initiate proceedings to find out if the affected person needs to be provided with support figures to reinforce their decision-making, or whether the support you have is sufficient or suitable.
