Harrisburg, PA- January 31, 2023 — Senator Lindsey M. Williams (D-Allegheny) and Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) announced today that they plan to reintroduce the Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act for Taxpayer Accountability (CFPA) this session. This legislation, which was introduced last session as SB38, will serve as a Pennsylvania False Claims Act. The CFPA is modeled on the Federal False Claims Act, which celebrates its 160th Anniversary this year.
The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act will protect whistleblowers against retaliation for reporting waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. According to the 2022 Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Report to the Nations, about 42% of fraud is detected by tip and more than 50% of tips come from employees. Protecting these whistleblower employees from retaliation is crucial to safeguarding Pennsylvania’s taxpayer dollars.
“As both a whistleblower myself and as an attorney who worked with whistleblowers for years, I can tell you that people want to do the right thing and report fraud when they see it,” said Senator Williams. “But there are a lot of risks in reporting. You can lose your job, your healthcare, and your retirement all in one fell swoop. We need to look out for these whistlebloProtecting Whistleblowers and Taxpayer Money: Senators Lindsey M. Williams and Kristin Phillips-Hill Reintroduce Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Actwers so that they can look out for all of us—this really is the most effective...
Dangote Group has dismissed as false and malicious a publication alleging that its President, Aliko Dangote, distanced himself from Tony Elumelu, describing the report as entirely baseless. In a s...