10. Focusing on investigations and protecting whistleblowers

While a variety of red flags can set off and inform an investigation, the most common impulse comes from reports of corruption and wrongdoing coming both from the institution’s staff and external stakeholders familiar with ongoing projects, for example contractors, subcontractors and those overseeing projects. Reports of wrongdoing, practitioners indicate, are especially important for large and complex projects, and in particular where they can be matched with reports of sudden influx of wealth to those involved in particular contracts. Ignoring reports of corruption, fraud and extortion not only wastes money; it allows corrupt networks to profit and provides them with opportunities to undermine legitimate governance institutions.

Encouraging whistleblowing can be difficult. First, there can be a cultural barrier, as blowing a whistle is seen as ‘snitching’ and cowardly behaviour in many countries. Moreover, in a war zone or a fragile state, whistleblowing could put an individual, their families, or their whole tribe or social group in serious physical danger. In some cases, one could even imagine this kind of ‘slight’ would become an excuse for reigniting conflicts between groups. For external stakeholders, an additional barrier might be the perception of the international mission as alien; especially if abuses had previously occurred, establishing trust sufficient to blow the whistle can be close to impossible.

It is therefore even more important that whistleblowing channels can protect anonymity of those who do decide make disclosures, and that a reliable reporting channel is in place. This could be a phone line, and email address, a post box, or even access to a mission official where safe and warranted. Effective whistleblowing arrangements should ensure:

• Preserve whistleblower anonymity;
• Protect whistleblowers from retribution and helping ensure their physical safety;
• Establish a mechanism for following up complaints with investigations, ideally by a dedicated official;
• Disseminate information regarding the existence and operation of the whistleblowing channel widely, to ensure staff and external actors are aware that it is in place.

Ensuring that investigations that can follow whistleblower disclosures are successful, however, requires investigators to have access to relevant material. According to a former official (interviewed in 2018), the early days of Task Force 2010 operations, for example, their work was hampered by lack of access to financial records; it became much easier once bank and contractor records became accessible, and information was shared with the UN’s Resolution 1267 team.

• World Bank accounting and fiduciary teams, which conduct audits and forensic checks of financial trails and transactions performed, secure access to relevant documentation – including contractor emails – through appropriate language in the original contract.