On 27 August 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposed amendments to the Latvian Whistleblowing Law, establishing administrative liability for violations of the law, such as retaliation against the whistleblower and his/her relatives, or deliberately providing of false information. Subject to being approved by the Parliament (Saeima), the amendments will likely come into force already on 1 January 2020.

The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive and the Whistleblowing law requires all private legal entities with 50 or more employees to implement an internal whistleblower program - procedures for internal reporting and follow-up of reports.

Fines for violations of the Whistleblowing law, e.g., for retaliating against the whistleblower and his/her relatives, range from € 30 and € 700 for natural persons, € 40 to € 700 for officials, and up to 14 000 € for legal entities. The fines will be imposed be the State Labour Inspectorate.

We can help you develop whistleblower policy and procedures, review any existing whistleblower policies and procedures, as well as do an independent investigation of any whistleblower reports.

What is an internal whistleblower program?

One of the critical objectives of an internal whistleblowing program is to establish effective channels for reporting potential workplace fraud and misconduct, while ensuring the whistleblower's anonymity and the confidentiality of persons reported. As part of the internal program, a responsible person (unit) should be assigned to evaluate the whistleblowing reports.

Effective policies and procedures allow the organization to resolve conflicts and reports internally without unnecessarily involving public authorities. An appropriate internal whistleblowing program will also demonstrate a commitment to high ethical standards and build trust in the organization.

How can we help?

• Develop an internal whistleblower program tailored to your organization
• Review any existing whistleblowing policies and procedures
• Provide independent investigation of whistleblower reports in the capacity of the designated contact person for whistleblower reports