Centralised external reporting channel – the Office of the Chancellor of Justice

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice acts as a centralised external reporting channel for whistleblower protection.

Breaches may be reported through the Office’s centralised external reporting channel, if

• The three general requirements of whistleblower protection are met. Read the requirements
• The whistleblower cannot use their internal reporting channel
• The whistleblower has a legitimate reason to believe that their internal report has not resulted in measures within the time prescribed or that it is ineffective, or
• The whistleblower has a legitimate reason to believe that they may face retaliation due to their report.

Reports are forwarded to the competent authority or ministry

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice does not investigate reports and instead forwards them to the competent authority. “Competent authority” refers to the public authority whose statutory duty is to supervise compliance and breaches and process the related reports. If no competent authority exists, the report is forwarded to the ministry whose administrative domain it concerns. The forwarding is expedited if the report concerns a direct and serious breach against health, safety, or security.

The Office of Chancellor of Justice does not forward reports that are clearly excluded from the scope of whistleblower protection. These reports are also not processed as complaints by the Office of the Chancellor of Justice.

Investigations are carried out by the competent authority or ministry

The competent authority or ministry considers whether the report and whistleblower are covered by the Whistleblower Act. The competent authority or ministry investigates the report and takes the measures it deems necessary to intervene with the breach.

The competent authority or ministry will inform the whistleblower of the measures taken.