The Argentine Anti-Corruption Office became a Decentralized Agency of the Argentine Executive with a New Director

On December 21, 2019, a special edition of the Official Gazette was published, including decree No. 54/2019 providing certain changes related to the Argentine Anti-corruption Office (the “OA” after its acronym in Spanish).

• The OA became a decentralized agency of the Argentine Executive (the “PEN” after its acronym in Spanish), acquiring more independence while keeping its administrative structure and budget within the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.
• The Director of the OA now holds equivalent rank and hierarchy of a Federal Minister, functioning within the orbit of the PEN.
• This public officer has technical independence and carries out their functions independently, without receiving instructions from the President or any high-ranking officer of the PEN.
• The Director of the OA was provided with broad independence to perform their functions. Currently, said officer can elaborate and make public the OA’s Action Plan as well as issue the OA’s Internal Policies without requesting the approval of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, which was previously necessary.
• Currently, to be appointed Director of the OA, the person under consideration must be an Argentine citizen and hold a law degree, be over 30 years’ old, and have extensive experience working either as a lawyer or as an officer in the Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Defense or the Judiciary.

To conclude, on January 9, 2020, a new decree was published in the Official Gazette, appointing Félix Pablo Crous as the OA’s new Director.