Temat: WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2014 – 03. 2014-01-14

WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2014 – 03. 2014-01-14

Bank of America – Not Stopped, Not Slowed, Not Harmed
Summary: This blog post looking at the actions of Bank of America (BofA) is the latest piece in a series from Michael Winston, a former executive at Countrywide Financial Corporation (bought by BofA) who blew the whistle on the company's clearly fraudulent activities that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession.
BofA, while posting some impressive financial results in 2013, still finds itself being continually charged with ethics breaches (including a recently settled $39 million gender discrimination suit). Winston writes that “there has been little change in the propensity [of BofA] to mislead consumers as to the quality or strength of its financial products and services.” Winston ends with suggesting to BofA that the company should listen to whistleblowers rather than retaliate against them.

WPSD (Kentucky): County to Pay Whistleblower
Summary: A whistleblower case that was filed against McCracken County, Kentucky has been settled by the County council. The whistleblower had alleged that she was harassed and then fired for reporting tax fraud. While the county admits to no guilt, the whistleblower is set to receive some $345,000 – an indication of the strength of her case.

HuffPost Live: NSA Whistleblower Thomas Drake on What Needs to be Done Next
Summary: Late last week, NSA whistleblower and GAP client Thomas Drake appeared on HuffPost Live to discuss specific reforms that must be enacted at the NSA if the agency is to achieve its mission while not violating Americans’ privacy rights. President Obama is set to announce his reforms to the NSA collection programs this Friday.

Whistleblower Protection Law Blog: DC Circuit Decision Highlights Procedural Complexity of Federal Employee Whistleblower Retaliation and Discrimination Claims
Summary: This blog post details a recent DC Circuit Court decision in a whistleblower case, specifically looking at the “procedural complexity” involved with federal employee whistleblower filings and offering tips for future parties.

Associated Press: UN Ruling on Whistleblowers Shows Limits to Accountability
Summary: A UN judge has found that two whsitleblowers from the international body's Office of Internal Oversight Services – the department charged with investigating and identifying corruption – suffered retaliation for exposing wrongdoing within the department. According to the article, the ruling (and others) "show that the world body still struggles to hold itself accountable despite the promised reforms since a vast scandal involving its oil-for-food program."

Huffington Post: Why Snowden's Disclosures of Foreign Surveillance Are Legitimate
Summary: Our government now implements a strategy and technology that includes the targeted killing of foreign nationals in countries with which we are not at war, more than 10 years after the Al Qaeda attack on the US. Shouldn't an informed public in a democratic country know a) the rationale, b) the consequences c) the effectiveness surrounding this campaign?

Columbus Dispatch: Blowing Whistle Just Got Dicier for State Workers
Summary: A recent troubling ruling by an Ohio county court of appeals has found that state employees "who report noncriminal misconduct to Ohio’s inspector general are not protected under 'whistleblower' laws enacted to prevent their bosses from punishing them for reporting violations."

Charleston Daily Mail: Whistleblower Legislation Advances in W. Va. House
Summary: A state false claims act bill has advanced through the West Virginia House judiciary committee to be voted on by the full body. The bill would allow for whistleblowers to bring an action against a party that is defrauding the state. If successful, the whistleblower would receive a portion of any moneys recovered.

See: http://www.whistleblower.org/