Friday, 22 March 2013

Knowing The Important Truths On Whistleblower Act

By Christi Larsen


It is not easy for a person gets to come forward and tell about the wrongdoings of someone in authority or in a high position. Some hold back the information since they are afraid that they will be put to harm or lost their job in the process. The whistleblower act is being utilized in such cases to provide protection at this time.

A whistleblower refers to the person who discloses to the authority or public about some delicate information occurring in a government section as well as private companies or organizations. It may include allegations of someone being dishonest. In some cases, they may tell about illegal activities or misconduct done by a person in the particular position.

The exposed individual may have allegedly committed a variety of misconduct where it leads to the violation of rules or putting the public at risk. One of the common crimes is fraud which means an act of intentional deception. As well, some politicians tend to get involved in corruption as they make use of their authority to gain personal interest.

In relation to the crime of corruption, the person may alleged of doing some extortion, embezzlement, graft and bribery. It may either be the means for another group to push through with their illegal activities including drug trafficking or money laundering. As such, they may resort to doing more crimes to cover up such activities.

For example, there comes a times when a regular employee had a full discovery about the illicit acts of his manager or supervisor. It may vary from coercion, harassment or accepting bribes which are all against the regulations in most institutions. When this witness stands to expose such act, there is fear thinking that those people might strike back at him.

However, there are some issues related to the ideas of whistle blowing nowadays and their integrity. There are people who think of them as selfless martyrs while other see them as snitches in the organization who wanted fame at the end of the case. But personal fame may not seem to be an acceptable idea since most of these cases are maintained at a low profile.

Although there have been laws governing about the security for these people, there have been reported cases where they receive punishment for such action. They may either be terminated, demoted, suspended or the salary has been lowered. Some of them may have even experienced bullying at the workplace.

After the discovery and the statements have been given, it is vital for them to push through with the investigation to gather more evidence and give appropriate judgment. He must know that he can file the complain regardless of having someone to legally represent him or not. When unresolved for a given time, it will be passed on to the administrative judge along with the evidence.

When an individual gets involved in delicate cases like this, it may be difficult for them to handle the situation especially if they are not given adequate support. A whistleblower act can protect them against any threats to their safety and health that may come as a form of retaliation. Thus, it is important for them to know who to call for help during these times.




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