People who inform the authorities in the British Virgin Islands confidentially about corruption are to be protected under a new whistleblower law now making its way through the House Of Assembly.
It is meant to apply to both the public and the private sector.
Not only will whistleblowers be protected and their identity kept secret, they’ll also be compensated if the information leads to a conviction or is otherwise found to be useful.
However, they risk prosecution if false information is intentionally provided.
This comes as the BVI government is the subject of a UK government-backed inquiry into allegations of corruption.
Appealing to individual civic responsibility, Premier Andrew Fahie said, “If there is evidence, you get paid for the information because you have done your civic duty of making sure that transparency and good governance continues,”
But he warned, “If the evidence is shown to be flawed and of no basis, you will pay for anything that has not yielded any kind of substantial worth.”
The draft legislation also seeks to protect the whistleblower from any retribution by their employer or others affected by their revelations.
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