Washington, DC, November 16, 2015. The SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower issued its annual report today highlighting the successes of the Office. This includes payments of more then $37 million to whistleblowers in 2015 and a 30% increase in the amount of claims filed with the office. The SEC also took enforcement action to ensure that corporations stop using restrictive nondisclosure agreements to keep regulatory violations hidden.
Stephen M. Kohn, Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center issued the following statement: “The report is good news for whistleblowers. The SEC continues to build its whistleblower program into a model for other agencies to follow. We are particularly pleased to see the SEC’s expansion of its international program, permitting whistleblowers from foreign countries to safely and effectively report illegal bribery in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”
According to the report, whistleblowers from 61 foreign countries filed claims with the SEC in 2015. Since the program was established, over $30 million has been paid in rewards to international whistleblowers, and the Commission has received claims from whistleblowers who reside in 95 countries outside the United States.
Related Links:
- 2015 Annual Report to Congress on the Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program
- Whistleblower Reward Programs: An International Framework for the Detection of Corruption and Illegal Bribery
- Breakthrough: Protecting Foreign Whistleblowers
