On September 6, the NACP launches the Unified Whistleblower Reporting Portal

06.09.2023

On September 6, 2023, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) launches the Unified Whistleblower Reporting Portal (hereinafter referred to as the Portal), where citizens can report corruption facts that they have managed to record. The Portal is one of the tools for implementing anti-corruption policy, whose creation is provided for by the Law of Ukraine "On Prevention of Corruption" and the State Anti-Corruption Program for 2023-2025 (SACP). Therefore, the launch of a special resource where whistleblowers can safely report corruption is one of the NACP's priorities. "The Whistleblower Reporting Portal is an internal reporting channel that saves the budget of all institutions and organizations from developing their own separate mechanism. The effective functioning of the Portal is part of the requirements for the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Thus, their recommendations have been implemented, and the experience of other successful countries in building cooperation with whistleblowers has been integrated. It is worth noting that organizations will be connected to the Portal in accordance with the schedule of priority connections approved by the NACP. If your institution is not yet connected, you can report corruption through other available reporting channels," said NACP Head Oleksandr Novikov. The special resource allows employees of organizations to send anonymous reports about corruption in their structures; the information of whistleblowers is promptly sent to its managers or authorized units (persons) for the prevention and detection of corruption, as well as to a specially authorized entity in the field of combating corruption (NACP, NABU, National Police, prosecutors). The NACP, with the support of donors, has created a convenient, unified tool that will be used by more than 92,000 organizations within 180 working days of the Portal's launch in order to fulfill the requirements of the Law, At the first stage, specially authorized anti-corruption entities (NACP, NABU, Prosecutor General's Office, National Police) and the State Bureau of Investigation will be connected to the Portal within 30 business days. Ministries, central executive bodies with special status, and regional state (military) administrations will be connected within 60 days. Within 90 working days from the date of the Portal launch, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Office of the President, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), the Central Election Committee (CEC), the Accounting Chamber, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU), state-owned companies, etc. will be connected to the Portal. Then followed regional, city, village, and town councils. The portal provides round-the-clock open access for submitting reports (including anonymous ones) through internal channels about possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses. It is a convenient and simple tool that minimizes the influence of a human factor and prevents interference with the system and information leakage. So if you become aware of corruption offenses in your organization, please report them. The portal will show you how to do it in a quick and correct manner. The portal was developed with the support of USAID's SACCI. How do I find the Whistleblower Portal? There is a link to the Whistleblower Portal on the NACP website, as well as on the official web resources of those organizations and institutions that will be connected to the Portal. You can enter the link in the browser address window, which will take you to the main page of the Portal. Who can apply to the Portal? Any person who becomes aware of corruption or corruption-related offenses may report them on the Portal. The legislation does not contain any restrictions in this regard. However, not everyone can become a whistleblower. What is the difference between a whistleblower and an applicant? A person is considered a whistleblower if the following conditions are met:

a report of corruption must be made by an individual (a citizen of Ukraine, a foreigner, or a stateless person) who is convinced that his or her information is reliable;
the information provided in the report must contain verifiable factual data proving that another person may have committed a corruption or corruption-related offense;
this information has become known to the person in connection with his or her labor, professional, economic, social, or scientific activities, service, or training.

In the absence of at least one of the above conditions, a person is considered an applicant. How to use the Portal? The Portal has step-by-step instructions on how to proceed. You will see blocks on the screen that need to be filled in. When making a notification, the Portal provides tips on what data to enter. The portal will automatically ask questions and prompt you for the next steps, making your work easier. The 5 steps are actually the questions that the person making the notification must answer. The portal also offers the choice of reporting corruption anonymously or with personal data. Is it possible to report corruption anonymously? The portal offers the choice of reporting anonymously or with information about yourself. It is up to you. Everyone is guaranteed the right to confidentiality. However, if a person makes a report anonymously, he or she cannot claim a reward and cannot enjoy the status of a whistleblower. It is also possible not to provide any information about yourself. In any case, each applicant is provided with an identifier, which can be used to track the progress of the report. You will need to enter it in the appropriate field on the Portal to find out at what stage your report is being considered. What is the procedure for receiving and reviewing notifications? A report is subject to review if the information provided in it contains factual data that can be verified. A preliminary review of notifications is carried out within ten business days from the date of entering the information into the Portal. If the preliminary review reveals signs of a corruption offense, the materials shall be transferred to the relevant specially authorized entity in the field of combating corruption or the State Bureau of Investigation. If the information contained in the report is confirmed, the perpetrators are brought to disciplinary responsibility by the authorized entity. Please note that the person who made the report is provided with detailed information on the results of the preliminary review within three days from the date of completion of the review. What are the security guarantees for a whistleblower? If there is a threat to the life, housing, health, or property of the whistleblower or their close relatives in connection with the report, law enforcement agencies may provide protection against unlawful attacks, as provided for by the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring the Safety of Persons Participating in Criminal Proceedings". The reason for taking security measures may be: a statement by a whistleblower, a member of his or her family, or a close relative; an appeal from the head of the relevant state body; or the receipt of operational and other information about a threat to life, health, housing, or property. What is the algorithm for receiving a 10% reward? The first condition for receiving a reward is the status of a whistleblower in criminal proceedings. The amount of the reward is 10% of the monetary value of the subject matter of the corruption criminal offense or the damage caused to the state. However, the reward cannot exceed 3000 minimum wages established at the time of the offense. The reward is paid based on the results of the trial after the court has issued a guilty verdict that has entered into force at the expense of the State Budget by the State Treasury. "Whistleblowing is one of the most effective methods of fighting corruption. And the most effective way to counteract it is to inform the heads of organizations in a timely manner about the facts of corruption offenses in their organizations to eliminate the causes of violations, as well as management and law enforcement agencies in case the head of the organization is involved in corruption. The practice of EU and OECD member countries has proven that working with whistleblowers and exposing corruption is the basis for building safe and prosperous societies. Therefore, it is important to create a culture of whistleblowing among citizens. After all, without responsible and educated citizens, such as whistleblowers, it is impossible to build a just society with zero tolerance for corruption. By reporting corruption violations, we are doing a noble thing, changing the country together," said NACP Head Oleksandr Novikov. As a reminder, in July, the NACP tested the Unified Whistleblower Reporting Portal with the participation of the top 10 government agencies. The NACP also prepared updated explanations on the legal status of a whistleblower. They systematize the key issues that may arise for those who have exposed or intend to expose corruption, as well as for authorized persons exercising their powers in the field of whistleblower protection.