The Whistleblowing Institute is working: HACC decides to pay the reward

02.10.2023

The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) welcomes the decision of the first instance of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to pay a reward to a whistleblower. The court made this decision on October 2, 2023. This case is related to the fact that the plea agreement concluded between the SAPO prosecutor and the former first deputy head of the Kyiv tax service was approved. It also refers to the payment of a reward to the whistleblower, which amounted to UAH 13 million, 299 thousand, and 950, which indicated the first positive decision in the context of the whistleblowing institution. It is worth noting that the verdict can be appealed to the HACC Appeals Chamber within thirty days of its announcement. This is, without exaggeration, a historic event that fundamentally establishes a whistleblowing culture in Ukraine and encourages whistleblowers to report corruption that they have discovered. According to the law, a whistleblower's remuneration will be paid from the State Budget of Ukraine by the State Treasury under the procedure of indisputable write-off. Therefore, the NACP relies on the State Treasury to enforce the court decision after it enters into force. As a reminder, on September 6, 2023, the NACP launched the Unified Whistleblower Reporting Portal, where citizens can report corruption they have witnessed. The Portal provides round-the-clock open access for submitting reports (including anonymous ones) through internal reporting channels on possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses. 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. Whistleblowing is one of the most effective methods of fighting corruption. While timely notification of the competent authorities about the facts of corruption crimes is an effective means of corruption prevention. The practice of civilized countries has proven that exposing corruption is the basis for building safe and prosperous societies. In transparent democracies, such as the United States, whistleblower compensation is the norm and encourages citizens to take responsibility. Unlike the United States, our country is only forming a culture of whistleblowing, and it is therefore critical to popularize it in Ukraine. After all, whistleblowing means showing consciousness, care, and integrity towards fellow citizens.