• AML
  • Qui Tam
  • SEC
  • CFTC
  • FCPA
  • FAQS
Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers | Take Action!
Subscribe
Donate
Get Help
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Qui Tam, Compliance and Anti-Corruption News.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home Global Whistleblowers

Whistleblower Protection in Switzerland is Frozen in Time, Report Finds

January 9, 2023
in Global Whistleblowers
Reading Time: 3 mins read
switzerland whistleblower
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

Retaliatory prosecution, loyalty oaths and an “intelligence system” comprised of business and political elites continue to severely limit the freedom of people in Switzerland to safely report corruption, a new report finds.

“Secrecy laws, the lack of transparency, and the failure to protect whistleblowers are viewed as significant problems both inside and outside the country,” concludes “Stalemate: Whistleblower Protection in Switzerland” by the Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation and Whistleblowing International Network.

“In Switzerland, dismissals, criminal and civil sanctions for breaching confidentiality, moral harassment, mobbing, discrimination and pressure are only some of the actions taken against whistleblowers,” the report says.

Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day Register for National Whistleblower Day

Even as EU countries are in the midst of passing new whistleblower laws, Switzerland remains in the minority of European countries with no legal protections whatsoever at the national level. The OECD said in July it is “highly concerned” about Switzerland’s lack of a whistleblower law and other anti-corruption reforms.

“There are strong obligations on Swiss workers to uphold their duties of confidentiality and loyalty to their employers,” the groups’ report says, “and few, if any, protections for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing.”

“In some sectors, such as banking,” it continues, “secrecy laws mean whistleblowers can and are held criminally liable for making disclosures.” Among those who have been prosecuted in Switzerland are tax evasion whistleblowers Rudolf Elmer of Julius Bär and Hervé Falciani of HSBC.

The Swiss Federal Assembly has been debating the issue at least since 2003, “but without any success.” Progress stopped in 2020 when a “limited law” that would have softened the loyalty oath for employees was rejected. Under these oaths, according to the report, employees may only report misconduct within the workplace or to public authorities “in very limited circumstances.” Also rejected in 2020 was a legislative proposal aimed at ending the prosecution of whistleblowers, as part of a so-called “Just Culture.”

The report was finalized in November based on information gathered from whistleblowers, lawyers, NGOs, journalists and academics during a three-day visit by the two groups in Bern, Geneva and Lausanne. WNN obtained an advance copy of the report before its release.

Among the groups’ more important findings, they identified “a particular kind of Swiss ‘intelligence system’ between financiers, companies, judges, and lawyers” that many large companies utilize to protect their reputations, promote their interests globally and safeguard their operations.

These intertwining networks make it difficult for vulnerable employees who have insider evidence about corruption to find independent support, the report says, or to rely on the “normal levers of accountability that those in other parts of the world depend.”

For now, hope of progress may come in the form of local initiatives. In January 2022 the city of Geneva passed a law intended to protect public employees, guarantee confidentiality and allow anonymous reports. Several cantons have enacted some procedures, including Basel-Stadt, as well as cities such as Bern, Winterthur and Zurich.

In a step backward for free speech, however, the groups’ report cites a 2015 amendment to the Swiss Banking Act under which journalists can be imprisoned for up to three years if they publish certain leaked information – “even when the public interest in the information is clear.” The groups said restricting media freedom is especially problematic since “there are few other avenues for the public to learn about wrongdoing.”

On the crucial issue of public perception and cultural acceptance, the groups made another important finding: “There is a tendency within Switzerland to wait for the ideal whistleblower to convince the public they can support whistleblowers in general.” This burden, they said, forces whistleblowers “to prove they are deserving of support rather than focusing on the public value of the substance of their concerns.”

Tags: International
Previous Post

National Whistleblower Center Director Addresses International Delegation

Next Post

SEC Whistleblower Receives $5 Million in Agency’s First Award of 2023

Next Post
First SEC Award of 2022

SEC Whistleblower Receives $5 Million in Agency’s First Award of 2023

Receive Daily Alerts

Subscribe to receive daily breaking news and legislative developments sent to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most Popular

Head of CFTC Whistleblower Program to Speak at National Whistleblower Day

Whistleblower Lawyers Stand Up to Defend Rule of Law

Advocates Push for Inclusion of IRS Whistleblower Reforms in Budget Bill

Whistleblower Awards Could Bolster UK Sanctions Enforcement According to Researcher

Advocacy Groups Call on Congress to Pass AI Whistleblower Protection Act

Attempts to Silence VA Scientists Would Violate the First Amendment Says Whistleblower Attorney

Whistleblower Poll

Whistleblower Poll
Whistleblower Poll

Exclusive Marist Poll: Overwhelming Public Support Among Likely Voters For Increased Whistleblower Protections

byGeoff Schweller
October 6, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED.
Subscribe to receive breaking whistleblower updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Careers

Subscribe

  • Daily Mail
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • YouTube Channel

Contribute

  • Letter to the Editor
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Reprint Guidelines

Your Experience

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Help

  • Rules for Whistleblowers
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Advertise
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments.

Submit an Article

Copyright © 2025, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

Become a Whistleblower Network News Subscriber

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Subscribe to WNN

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Subscribe to WNN
Join the Waitlist for National Whistleblower Day 2025! July 30, 2025 on Capitol Hill
JOIN WAITLIST

Add New Playlist

Demand Protections for Artificial Intelligence Whistleblowers

Take Action!
No Result
View All Result
  • Exclusives
  • Government
    • False Claims-Qui Tam
    • Federal Employees
    • Intelligence
  • Corporate
    • CFTC & Commodities
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC & Securities
  • Features
  • Legislation
  • International
    • Foreign Corruption
  • Rewards
  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Environment & Climate
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Employment
    • Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
    • Retaliation
    • OSHA
  • Make National Whistleblower Day Permanent
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • National Whistleblower Day
  • Whistleblower Poll
  • Whistleblower Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resources for Locating An Attorney
    • The New Whistleblowers Handbook

Copyright © 2024, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version