Better protection of whistleblowers

Better protection of whistleblowers

Amendment to the Whistleblower Protection Act

On March 1, 2019, a new Act on the protection of whistleblowers was published and was supplemented by Act no. 54/2019 Coll. It has been designed to protect whistleblowers, that is, people who choose to draw attention to corruption or anti-social behavior where they work. Where a colleague or supervisor carries out an illegal activity, this law better protects the whistleblower.

Amendment to the 2015 Act

The Slovak Republic amended the Act on whistleblower protection, which has been in force since 2015 as Act No. 307/2014 Coll. on certain measures related to the reporting of anti-social activities and on amendments to certain acts. The initiator of this amendment were international institutions and documents to which Slovakia has a commitment.

Reward for whistleblower

Persecution or other sanctions against people who report anti-social activity has been banned. Protection has been enshrined for an employee who, in the public interest and in good faith, has pointed out and helped to clarify the illegality and catch the perpetrator. The law guaranteed the remuneration of whistleblower by 50 times the minimum wage if the offender was convicted of the crime.

Whistleblower Protection Office

On the basis of the amendment, the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers was established. This body is independent, falls under the state administration and its competence is in the whole territory of the Slovak Republic. The role of this body is to oversee the implementation of the Law on the protection of whistleblowers. The body's task is to provide expert opinions, disseminate whistleblowing, provide advice on this law and reward whistleblowers. The National Council of the Slovak Republic elects and recalls the Chairman of the Office. The expert committee proposes two candidates and then the National Council elects the chairman.

Protection of whistleblowers and family

A member of the family is also protected if he or she works for the same employer as the notifier.

A whistleblower who reports illicit activity through the media is protected, and the conditions for financial remuneration for notification are also preferential.