Information from the public is an integral tool for government investigations and asset recovery. The House Ways and Means Committee recently recognized this by voting unanimously to strengthen the IRS whistleblower program. The United States Government Accountability Office (“GAO”). The GAO, which audits and investigates for Congress, confirmed these findings in a recent report. Released on March 3rd, the report “Protections for Whistleblowers and Others: Selected Agency Actions Regarding Reports of Potential Wrongdoing” demonstrates that whistleblowers contribute to recovery efforts, boost efficiency, and maintain accountability.
This report was written in response to requests from representatives Jan Schakowsky and Lori Trahan, both longtime supporters of whistleblowers. The GAO was asked to determine which private-sector employment practices create incentives or barriers to reporting wrongdoing, how federal agencies enforce private-sector whistleblower protections, and the challenges federal agencies face in receiving whistleblower information.
To conduct this study, the GAO utilized document analysis, agency data, and interviews to gather information from various organizations that deal with individuals who disclose information. The study analyzed four government agencies that “employed certain identified strategies to facilitate whistleblowing” (the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and...
The President of the Association of Yorubas in Diaspora, South Africa, Dr Olusola Agbeniyi, has asked the senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, to desist from making what he described ...