A new draft law designed to encourage people to report corruption and related crimes proposes financial rewards reaching up to €17,600 for whistleblowers, according to the Pravda daily. They will only receive their reward in the case of a successful prosecution. They will have six months to claim the sum which won't be negotiable. The Justice Ministry will have six months to come to a decision on the application. The crimes concerned will include corruption, the misuse of European funds, social-benefits fraud and crimes related to public administration. The new bill allows people to report corruption anonymously so they avoid being sacked or harassed. The draft will be discussed in the Cabinet in August. Some ministers have opposed such financial rewards in the past. Justice Minister Tomaš Borec came out against the move last year, arguing that people are actually legally obliged to report corruption and can potentially be prosecuted for failing to do so. If approved by Parliament, the new legislation will come into effect as of January 1, 2015.
Meanwhile a group of Slovak businessmen have already launched a foundation on their own, along with a website aimed at encouraging people to report corruption. According to them, last year police did not receive any complaints linked to alleged corruption, and only one the year before. The businessmen say that mentality of the ordinary people is partially to be blamed for this situation as they tolerate it. A survey published in mid June by EY, a multinational consulting company, concluded that 62% of managers of companies registred in Slovakia would use corrupt practices in order to win or retain business. Only 18% of surveyed Slovak companies have whistle-blowing hotlines.
