Indians are filing Whistleblower Rewards claims in United States in sizeable numbers, a report released in Washington on Tuesday by the National Whistleblower Center revealed.

The report-released as part of the U.N. sponsored Anti-corruption Day — highlights that since 2011 over 1,000 whistleblowers from 82 separate countries including India have already made confidential disclosures to U.S. authorities under the American anti-corruption whistleblower reward laws.

These laws permit foreign nationals to file confidential claims in the United States, including claims based on violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a law designed to combat international bribery of government officials.

“The U.S. reward programs are filling the void caused by a lack of international whistleblower protections. Until other countries enact effective laws, whistleblowers around the world will continue to face harsh retaliation”, said Stephen M Kohn, Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center.

“It is troubling that whistleblowers have to come to the United States for protection while their home countries have ignored their plight, or participated in the retaliation”.

Meanwhile, a separate report issued by the Chief of the US Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that since 2011 as many as 120 whistleblowers from India had filed whistleblower reward claims (related to securities market) in the United States.

For fiscal 2014 alone, the US SEC received whistleblower submissions from individuals in 60 foreign countries.

After the United States, the highest number of Whistleblower tips in fiscal 2014 came from individuals in the United Kingdom (70 individuals), India (69 individuals), Canada (58 individuals), China (32 individuals) and Australia (29 persons).    

srivats.kr@thehindu.co.in   

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