The role of whistleblowers in the fight against economic crime

Abstract

Discusses the position of whistleblowers who report their suspicions of crimes like money laundering; individuals with inside knowledge are often crucial to fighting such crimes, but their own positions are far from strong. Asks who are the whistleblowers; they may be employees of the same company as the fraudster or money launderer, or they may be an auditor or accountant. Considers the pressures on them to remain silent: the threat of violence or of loss of employment. Shows how each of these threats needs to be countered if genuine whistleblowers are to be confident enough to disclose information: the necessary measures are witness protection programmes and specific employment protection measures for whistleblowers such as those in the 1998 Public Interest Disclosure Act.

Citation

Alexander, R. (2004), "The role of whistleblowers in the fight against economic crime", Journal of Financial Crime, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 131-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/13590790510624945