The Law No. 83 dated October 10, 2018 has established a protection regime that benefits any natural or legal person who would denunciate to the National Anti-Corruption Commission any past, present or future act related to corruption.
One of the most important provisions of the law is the protection of the whistleblower at all times in order to encourage the disclosure of information. As such, the whistleblower’s identity shall remain secret, even after the procedure has unfolded. He/she shall be protected from any damage that he/she may suffer in performing his duty (disciplinary sanctions, dismissal, suspension, demotion, etc.) by imposing a fine varying between LBP /10,000,000/ and LBP /100,000,000/. Similarly, any person who causes damage to the whistleblower outside of work or to his family members or his employees (pressure, threats, physical or moral violence, material damage etc.) shall be subject to strengthened penalties. In the event of a serious risk to the safety of the whistleblower or to a member of his/her family or other, the Commission may request from the public authorities to provide all the necessary protective measures to ensure their protection. If the information disclosed to the public authorities is of great value, the whistleblower may receive a reward and additional help in accordance with the provisions of the law. However, it should be noted that the award is not guaranteed and is up to the discretion of the Commission.
This initiative is a great step for the Lebanese system, which has become notorious for its large scale corruption. Often, the average Lebanese citizen, employee or public official does not dare to communicate the acts of corruption witnessed out of fear of retribution. We are hopeful that this law will be able to achieve its purposes and serve the aim it has been enacted for.
Kozma Nadine & Spagnolo Valéria