The Whistleblowing Law which came into force on 1 May 2019 prescribes that any person is entitled to blow the whistle in the public and private sector regarding threats to the interests of the society noticed in the work environment.
Whistleblowing – an opportunity for everyone to contribute to lawful, fair, open, and transparent operations of an establishment by exercising their right to free expression of opinions.
Whistleblower – a natural person who provides information on a possible violation which may harm the public interests if the person considers this information to be true and it has become known to him or her while fulfilling the work duties or establishing legal relationship related to the fulfilment of work duties.
A whistleblower’s report may be submitted to the competent authority:
- via an electronic form on the website www.trauksmescelejs.lv,
- or by filling in the form and sending it to the whistleblowing e-address of the respective authority, by post or in person.
The Law provides that an internal whistleblowing system may be also used for whistleblowing. This means that any employee of an establishment can report a possible violation in the activity of such establishment that is of significant public interest in order to prevent it in time, before jeopardising the reputation of the establishment, causing of damage thereto, or involvement of the competent public authorities. Employees particularly are in a position to notice possible violations and assess the severity thereof because of their professional knowledge and experience.
Through the internal whistleblowing system, the report is closer to the ‘root of the problem’ and the concerns raised can be promptly assessed, and also the possible violation can be prevented, or systemic flaws can be identified.
When receiving a whistleblower’s report, the personal data of the submitter shall be pseudonymised.
Personal data of a whistleblower, report and appended written or material evidence, and also materials from the examination of the whistleblower’s report shall have the status of restricted access information.
Every person (authority) who has received the whistleblower’s report or carries out any activities with it has the obligation to ensure due protection of the personal data of the whistleblower. The personal data of the whistleblower may be transferred only to persons (authorities) who need them for the examination of the whistleblower’s report or the violation case initiated on the basis of it, or for the protection of the whistleblower or his or her relatives. More information about whistleblower protection in the protection section of the website trauksmescelejs.lv.
You can address the contact persons of the establishment to seek advice on whistleblowing and to find out about the progress of your report.
Whistleblowing Contact Point [Central Finance and Contracting Agency]:
- e-mail: trauksmescelejs@cfla.gov.lv;
- postal address: Central Finance and Contracting Agency, Smilšu iela 1, Riga, LV-1919.
For more information about whistleblowing, please visit www.trauksmescelejs.lv