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Anders Kompass received a lot of attention when he, as a high-ranking official within the UN, fought with his own organization to come to terms with systematic sexual abuse in the Central African Republic. Kompass left the UN in 2016 and made clear what he thought would need to happen to address the problems. In an article, he describes a feeling of déjà vu when a recent report shows that similar problems still persist. The case is somewhat typical in that the problem is mainly about the willingness to remedy the irregularities. Known problems are often swept under the rug if they become uncomfortable for senior management. As Kompass sees it, the solution is to build robust structures, with sufficient resources, strict independence and a clear mandate. Just as with the establishment of whistleblower systems, the reporting channel is only a small part of a larger puzzle, where the goal is mainly about building healthy organizational cultures.

In 2017, investigative journalists att TV show "Kalla fakta" uncovered extensive irregularities within the Swedish Public Property Agency. The trial is now underway where six people, including a former property manager at the authority, are suspected of bribery. (Article in Swedish)  The case is a clear example of a lack of control in public operations and an inability to act on malpractice. For several years the former employee Richard Lindvall pointed out the misconduct he saw to the General Manager of the authority, before he chose to go external with his suspicions. As a whistleblower in the case, he is now the main witness in the trial. (Article in Swedish) The case can be seen as an example of particularly nefarious individuals, or as a predictable result of a naive culture in the public sector, lax supervision and insufficient tools for the oversight bodies. As seen many times before, bribes seem especially prevalent where the public sector meets the private sector. What starts on a small scale is gradually growing, and where there are no individuals as owners, control seems to be laxer.  Richard Lindvall describes the frustration among officials within the National Audit Office over their insufficient tools. As new EU regulation will make whistleblower systems mandatory, the toolbox will be expanded. But it remains to be seen whether it will drive any actual change.

In the summer of 2021, the new ISO standard for whistleblower systems is expected to be published. Lantero is involved in the process through the SIS committee representing Sweden. The standard is voluntary and will be a guide for organizations to create robust and well-functioning whistleblower systems. The work with the standard takes into consideration that the conditions for different organizations differ greatly, but that there are many issues that can be addressed through common general principles.  While it can be difficult to set up general rules for how reporting or processing should be set up, it is possible to point out which issues need to be discussed, how one can reason about risk areas or possible conflict areas given industry, size or type of organization. A further challenge is, of course, that the standard should work internationally, despite the fact that the degree of maturity when it comes to whistleblower systems differs greatly and that organizations can function quite differently in different countries.

The new whistleblower directive from the EU will be implemented into national legislation from December 2021.  **In Sweden all organizations with more than 50 employees will be mandated to implement an internal whistleblower system, including authorities.  ** The Swedish 800 page committee report was submitted in June. The proposition includes: - The whistleblowers' anonymity needs to be guaranteed.   - Investigators need to be independent.   - Certain demands for how reporting can be conducted, e.g. both verbally and in writing.   - Investigations should be handled within a certain deadline and the whistleblower has the right to some information on the investigation findings.    - Data needs to be handled and stored in a safe manner.   - Fines for non-compliance should be deterrent.   - There needs to be someone appointed as responsible for the reporting channel. Lantero fullfils all the demand and closely follows the development to be able to offer a fully compliant solution. Contact us for more information!