With the future of global anti-corruption enforcement in doubt—and the U.S. signaling it may retreat from its long-standing leadership—experts warn that the world’s most effective accountability mechanisms could unravel. In response to this mounting threat, whistleblower attorneys Stephen Kohn and Kayla Svihovec hosted a November 18 webinar, moderated by journalist Josy Joseph, to explain how journalists and NGOs can partner with whistleblowers to sustain international oversight.

“What happens,” Kohn asked, “if the US backs off?” Anti-corruption enforcement, as we know it, would cease to exist, for no other country has matched the United States’ efforts.

Kohn explained that, recognizing that whistleblowers are a central catalyst for anti-corruption prosecutions, the United States’ robust whistleblower program accounts for foreign individuals who report corruption. Kohn gave examples of international whistleblowers who uncovered billions of dollars in money laundering and successfully obtained compensation by turning to the US. U.S. law allows whistleblowers to file anonymous claims from anywhere in the world.

Zooming in on the importance of journalists and NGOs, Kohn highlighted an OECD study that found that 20% of successful foreign bribery cases originated in the news media and that another 20% originated with NGOs. Kohn accentuated the essential role journalists and NGOs play in combating corruption by working with whistleblowers to publicize their claims.

Even though...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi8wFBVV95cUxOT0p2Tzc0UDYwTGdrbTNvdTdJ...