Domestic Policies

House Passes Bill to Transform Whistleblowers Protection Office

Slovak Parliament (stock photo by TASR)

      Bratislava, 9 December (TASR) - The Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) will be transformed into a new Crime Victims and Whistleblowers Protection Office, MPs decided in a vote on Tuesday, approving the Interior Ministry's bill debated via a fast-tracked legislative procedure.
        In addition to handling the agenda of whistleblowers reporting criminal activity, the new institution will also take over the agenda for compensating the victims of crime from the Justice Ministry.
        "The [new] office is being set up as an independent state administration authority with nationwide powers, tasked with protecting the rights and legitimate interests of crime victims and whistleblowers reporting unlawful conduct. This is a new legal framework in the sense that, for the first time, it brings the crime victim and whistleblower agenda under a single institution," explained the Interior Ministry.
        According to the ministry, a single authority would enable immediate and coordinated protection of persons at risk. "The existing system is fragmented across multiple state bodies, thus reducing efficiency and weakening guarantees for victims and whistleblowers," stated the ministry.
        Other changes are also being introduced by the proposal. Prosecutors or administrative bodies will be required to continuously review whether the qualified nature of the report based on which the decision to grant protection has been made still applies and whether the report has been made in good faith. The review would have to be carried out based on a submission from the protected whistleblower's employer.
        However, the submission would have to contain information directly related to assessing the qualified nature of the report and the protected whistleblower's actions in good faith. If the administrative body or prosecutor finds that the report doesn't meet these criteria, the decision granting protection may be revoked. The new legislation is to enter into force on 1 January 2026.

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