4 – Protect the witnesses

If a government investigator tips off a criminal and lets them know they’re being watched, that investigator would be committing a crime. The law says they must go to prison.

Jonathan Ferris was an investigator at the financial intelligence agency. There he became aware that evidence of corruption against politicians was being suppressed.

He realised that unless the public was told what was going on criminals would go scott free.

Ferris asked the whistleblower agency to protect him if he revealed what he knew. He was told that for his application to be considered he needed to prove he had the evidence to back up his claims.

But he was also warned that if he were to attach the evidence he had to his application he would be sent to prison just as if he was tipping off criminals.

That’s why we don’t have whistleblowers exposing corruption here.

It’s not because we don’t have people who can give evidence of the crimes they witness. It’s because they’ll be punished if they do.

Anyone who exposes corruption should be protected from retribution.

That’s how we bring corruption to light: by making sure witnesses have no reason to fear.

It should not be up to ministers to control who is recognised as a whistleblower, especially when the whistle is being blown on ministers themselves.

Written by Manuel Delia
Video Production & Voiceover: Michael Kaden