Public sector whistleblowers on the rise 

A legal provision introduced in 2011 protects federal employees who report "misdemeanours or felonies" in the public service. Keystone

The number of whistleblowers in the public sector is on the rise, according to the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO).  

The SFAO received 164 reports from whistleblowers last year, up from 122 in 2017, according to its 2018 annual reportExternal link.  

It says 101 reports were used for ongoing or future audits, “or else triggered new investigations in the not-too-distant future”. Two reports were referred to the Office of the Attorney General and the military justice authorities.  

The audit office estimates that more than 60% of the whistleblowers’ reports are therefore useful and “help to improve how the [federal] administration functions”. For example, tip-offs led it to examine the financial management of the Swiss Railways transport police and the profit margins of the state-owned defence company RUAG.   

The SFAO has recorded a steady increase in the number of whistleblowers since 2011, the year a new article of the Federal Personnel Act came into force to protect federal employees acting in good faith when reporting felonies and misdemeanours. Tip-offs are handled anonymously through an online platform introduced in 2017.  

Of the 164 tip-offs recorded last year, 75 came from federal employees, while the rest came from suppliers or individuals in contact with the federal authorities. Some 125 reports were submitted anonymously, while the SFAO exchanged with 86 whistleblowers through encrypted emails. Less than 20% came through other channels, such as telephone, letter or in person.