Whistleblowers

Whistleblowers are individuals who report irregularities they learn about in the performance of their duties to the relevant authorities. In doing so, whistleblowers may contact authorities within their organization (e.g., superiors or auditors) or external authorities, such as the police or prosecutors. The activities of whistleblowers are used to prevent serious irregularities in organizations at an early stage, which often escalate into criminal or economic crimes. The work of whistleblowers is seen as an important contribution to public safety.

According to the EU Directive on the Protection of Whistleblowers and the draft Polish law in this regard, companies employing more than 50 people and public authorities are required to implement confidential channels for whistleblowing. The purpose of these provisions is to enable and at the same time encourage the reporting of abuses that may take place within an entity, with the protection of whistleblowers ensured.

To effectively carry out whistleblower-related tasks in complex organizations, many years of diverse experience in the areas of commercial, criminal, fiscal and criminal-economic law are necessary. Expert knowledge is essential in the effective implementation of the requirements enshrined in the above-mentioned directive and the proposed law, and allows to avoid legal and financial consequences (failure to implement appropriate solutions risks financial sanctions), and above all will help protect the reputation of a company.

We have extensive knowledge and rich practice in conducting internal investigations in cases of fraud, economic fraud, corporate crime (with particular emphasis on economic crimes), fiscal criminal offense and corporate disputes, which guarantees professional and comprehensive support in the field of verification of whistleblower reports and follow-up.

The scope of our services includes:

• analysis of client needs and development of relevant policies, internal procedure and necessary documentation, including criminal compliance;
• supervising the implementation of the notification procedure and other required procedures;
• conducting training on whistleblower protection obligations for the board of directors and senior managers; for those who have been appointed to operate the whistleblower notification system and for all covered employees;
• conducting periodic and ad hoc training on internal procedure and other implemented procedures;
• conducting legislative monitoring and reviewing procedures for the need for possible changes in the context of amendments;
• handling whistleblower reports and support in reviewing and evaluating whistleblower reports;
• full legal and follow-up support, including conducting internal investigations, preparing an appropriate action plan, communicating with the whistleblower and conducting internal audits;
• handling criminal and criminal-economic cases in case of irregularities.

Our services are aimed at:

• entities implementing whistleblower regulations;
• companies and institutions exposed to economic crime;
• whistleblowers;
• entities harmed by economic crimes.