Whistleblower law in limbo due to budget constraints
In 2022, the Whistleblower Unit received the highest number of cases of abuse of office.
By
Shahudha Mohamed
The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM)'s Whistleblower Protection Unit has released its 2023 annual report on the implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Act.
The HRCMs Whistleblower Protection Unit, set up to provide protection to those who disclose information about illegal activities to the detriment of citizens by those in positions of power, published a report on Thursday.
The report notes that the commission is unable to fulfil its responsibilities. Thus:
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Due to lack of budget, the unit has not been able to visit rural areas and conduct awareness and information sessions as required
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A portal for the unit was started to facilitate the submission of complaints, but the work had to be suspended due to budget constraints
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Events planned last year to mark World Whistleblowers Day also had to be cancelled due to lack of budget; the day was celebrated without any expense
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In previous years as well, the biggest challenge for the unit was the lack of budget
In addition, the unit identified the next biggest issue as the lack of cooperation in establishing whistleblowing arrangements in government agencies as required by law.
"The Whistleblower Protection Unit has asked state agencies to form committees, but some agencies have not responded to the request. Therefore, internal arrangements are still not in place in some state agencies," the report said.
21 cases; Most are abuse of state position
The Whistleblower Protection Report also includes statistics on the number of cases filed last year. According to the statistics:
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Last year, the unit received 21 cases
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2 of these cases have been investigated by the unit
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The remaining 19 cases have been referred to other relevant authorities
Types and number of 21 cases filed:
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Abuse of public office: 8
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Committing an act defined by law as a criminal or administrative offence: 7
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Corruption: 3
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Violation of a human right: 1
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Wasting or neglecting to use a public resource: 1
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Retaliation for whistleblowing: 1
According to the Whistleblower Unit, 30 cases were reported to the whistleblower system of other government agencies last year. So, with the 21 cases filed with the unit, the entire state whistleblower system received a total of 51 cases last year.
In 2022, the Whistleblower Unit received the highest number of cases of abuse of office. 10 cases were reported that year.
In addition to investigating complaints, the Whistleblower Unit has conducted guidance, advice and awareness sessions for government agencies and companies over the past year. They include:
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Employees of 208 agencies were briefed by telephone on the procedures for establishing whistleblower protection committees
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Last year alone, 61 awareness sessions were scheduled by the unit; of the sessions scheduled at the initiative of the unit, 30 sessions were scheduled and seven sessions were scheduled at the request of other agencies.
