Dear G20: Whistleblowers, not weak statements, are the way to fight corruption

The G20 meeting in Indonesia from November 15-16, 2022, concluded, as it has before, with statements about anti-corruption commitments. World leaders pledged accountability, transparency, and zero tolerance for corruption. They vowed to criminalize bribery, organized crime and money laundering, and called on academia, civil society, the media and the private sector to “advance a culture of integrity.”

Such statements sound wonderful but have unfortunately become too routine: good rhetoric without any sense of urgency. Transparency International, which works in more than 100 countries to end corruption, noted that the G20 2022 leaders’ summit “fails to make progress on the critical issue of transnational corruption.”

As Michael Johnston and Scott Fritzen argued in their 2021 book, “The Conundrum of Corruption,” we need to reassess the anti-corruption movement. What is really needed is ideas about how overly concentrated and imbalanced power enables and protects corruption. Politicians are still treating symptoms of corruption and not the disease. 

Many global leaders appear to still assume that corruption is only a problem for law enforcement. Certainly law enforcement has an essential role, as do reforms of the processes that enable corruption. But it appears many don’t understand the international origins of corruption that are untouchable by current law enforcement organizations.

A very significant and effective alternative tool for combatting corruption is whistleblowing.

“Whistleblowing is one of the most effective ways to detect and prevent corruption and other malpractice,” states Transparency International.

Transparency International notes that “reporting often comes at a high price,” with whistleblowers sometimes risking their jobs, careers, or worse. In addition to fearing the consequences of stepping forward, potential whistleblowers say one of the top reasons for not reporting corruption is “uncertainty about how, where and to whom to report,” the organization adds.

This is where Ethic Alliance can be so vital to a whistleblower’s success.

A for-profit corporation focused on a social mission, Ethic Alliance guides, protects and helps financially reward whistleblowers under U.S. law. Becoming an Ethic Alliance client ensures both the confidentiality of your report and attorney-client privilege protecting all of our communications.

More corruption could be prevented if whistleblowers would step forward and report what they know, says Ethic Alliance CEO Scott Williams. “Where words like the G20’s are weak, whistleblowers can have genuine impact in combatting corruption,” says Williams.  “Public involvement is a necessity in the fight against corruption if entities like the G20 are truly serious about combating it.  The U.S. has broad-reaching laws and established enforcement mechanisms that financially reward and protect the public’s involvement to fight corruption.  Leveraging these existing mechanisms to amplify the power of public involvement, expanding them to additional areas such as sanctions violations, and encouraging other countries to adopt similar mechanisms will have an enormous impact.”

Protecting whistleblowers is Ethic Alliance’s first priority. Working with Ethic Alliance provides multiple layers of protection including a secure, encrypted platform to file your report, the ability to maintain complete anonymity, including from us, if you so desire, as well as the strong legal protections of attorney-client privilege and work product by agreeing to our short engagement agreement before filing your report on our platform.

All you need is a description of the alleged misconduct, when it occurred, and who was involved. However, evidence, in the form of documents or other materials, can be very important to bring these cases forward.

No information about your identity, or contact information for that matter, is required to file your report. We do provide the option for you to provide it if you choose, but it is not required.

Contact Ethic Alliance at info@ethicalliance.com

Photo courtesy of G20.