Colin Calleja
Director of Risk
Whistleblowers are a critical component in reporting fraud, breaches and general misconduct in the workplace. Information obtained by whistleblowers in work-related context may be vital in the fight against breaches of Union law. For this reason, the Protection of the Whistleblower Act obliges organisations employing 50 or more workers, to have in place internal reporting channels to receive and investigate, in full confidentiality, reports submitted by the workers of the organisation and/or of its subsidiaries or affiliates.
To any extent possible, reports may also be received from any of the group's agents and suppliers, and/or by any persons who acquire information through their work-related activities with the organisation and the group. This necessitates the appointment of a dedicated and independent Whistleblower Officer/Unit to receive, investigate and follow up on these reports, whilst ensuring the identity of the reporting person and details provided remain confidential throughout the process.
Organisations are, therefore, to ensure that a competent person, free from conflict of interest, is appointed to oversee the whistleblower protection unit. In all cases, the appointed officer is to directly communicate with the reporting person, and properly inform the latter on the investigation's progress and outcome. The appointed officer may further request the whistleblower to provide additional information during the course of the investigation.
Our Whistleblower Protection Services for You
BDO Malta has deployed a secure and confidential set up, specifically designed to allow reporting persons to report breaches at any time. All complaints are received and responded to by members of the BDO Whistleblower Unit, who are experienced in the area of risk analysis, mitigation and management.
Our secure and confidential channels comprise:
online portal access via a BDO Secure webpage;
a dedicated telephone line;
a dedicated email address; and
mail.