08/30/2009
Whistle blowing always leads to a dead end
In this blog I have expressed several times that I do not agree with whistle blowing despite it is promoted by international organizations like GRECO or OECD : whilst the OECD Convention on bribery does not impose specific obligations regarding whistle blowing the OECD monitoring procedures identify reporting mechanisms and whistle blower protection as relevant factors for detecting and deterring bribery.
Whistle blowing is based on internal information that is communicated and therefore is clearly a breach of loyalty. There are many public and official facts in the jurisdictions that allow to trace both a lax attitude and a support to professionals that do not comply with professional standing. I have decided to focus on these and I refuse any information that is not public or official I could be sent.
The definition of corruption is large enough to include those who organize huge banking schemes to facilitate tax evasion.
The UBS tax scandal in the USA started with Bradley Birkenfeld, who acted as a whistleblower. This guy was sent to jail for facilitating offshore tax evasion through UBS banking schemes, despite assisting federal investigators in exposing the secretive bank whereas it was agreed between the USA and UBS that UBS would disclose 4,450 client names instead of the 52000 targeted.
A couple of days later President Barack Obama played the golf with Robert Wolf, president of UBS Investment Bank and chairman and CEO of UBS Group Americas. Wolf, an early financial backer of Obama's presidential campaign, raised $250,000 for him back in 2006, and in February was appointed by the president to the White House's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
There is all but an happy end for whistleblowers and I did not read any support for Bradley Birkenfeld from the OECD or the GRECO, those organizations that promote what he did.
I think these organisation are neither trustable nor reliable as they are upset when one reports red flags from public and official sources. So how can they actually support the reporting of information that is more confidential ?
07:22 Posted in General | Permalink | Comments (1)
Comments
Whistleblowing is justified when it brings into the public domain something that is happening that is morally or ethically wrong or against the law.
Governments & politicians are known to keep 'the truth' under wraps, or 'cover-up' malfeasance, because it is politically expedient to do so. It is one of the reasons why the public at large don't trust politicians. The publicy want & expect honesty from those who exercise or have power over their lives, whether it be governments & their agencies, local authorities, bankers, etc.
It is the fear that a whistleblower might spill the beans about hankpanky & 'cover-up' that now keeps 'them' from not deceiving 'us'.
Jim for Justice
Posted by: Jim | 09/02/2009
The comments are closed.