Combating corruption through whistleblowers – ombudsmen for companies and public administration
Corruption in public administration as well as in banks, insurance companies and businesses causes significant material and immaterial damage. On the one hand, corruption, even at the suspicion stage, damages the trust in correct action and thus the reliability of the company in general and the trust of citizens in the rule of law and the functioning of the administration and the state.
Corruption adversely affects future and current procurement, the image of the administration or the company in the public eye, the word/figurative mark, all marketing and business structures, and ultimately the overall image of how it is perceived from the outside.
One reason for the low rate of detection of corruption offences lies in the particular way they are committed, based on conspiracy, and also in the fact that there is no victim in the classic, tangible form. In order to detect corrupt behavior as early as possible, public administration and companies rely on the cooperation of their own employees as well as citizens, suppliers and other third parties. However, since whistleblowers often fear possible personal disadvantages when passing on their knowledge, the establishment of an ombudsperson is an obvious solution.
The aim of identifying corruption at an early stage and combating it in the interest of the company is achieved in many ways by introducing an ombudsperson.
The ombudspersons of the law firm
- set up a point of contact for whistleblowers and maintain it over the long term
- receive information from the whistleblower regarding suspected corrupt actions
- open up the possibility of written, personal, electronic and telephone communication
- conduct confidential discussions with the whistleblower
- comply with the request for anonymity from whistleblowers
- file criminal charges and reports in accordance with the mandate
- maintain a dialog with the whistleblower as the process unfolds.
It is possible to appoint one or more ombudspersons to receive and process confidential information regarding suspected corruption in relation to the company/authority. The ombudsperson is then bound by official duty (Lawyer) and additionally bound to confidentiality by contractual arrangement, so that although the facts of the case are passed on, the identity of the person reporting them is not – for fear of reprisals.
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