ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Due to a lot of vague wording, party benches in the Croatian parliament on Thursday did not support a bill on the protection of employees who issue information of public interest put forward by the Social
Liberals (HSLS), although they agree that the problem of whistler-blowers should be regulated by law.
ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) - Due to a lot of vague wording, party benches
in the Croatian parliament on Thursday did not support a bill on the
protection of employees who issue information of public interest
put forward by the Social Liberals (HSLS), although they agree that
the problem of whistler-blowers should be regulated by law. #L#
The HSLS proposed the bill prompted by stories of whistler-blowers,
a term used in the United States for people who provide information
to the public about illegal transactions in their companies or
other institutions which are detrimental to public interest, Mario
Kovac of the HSLS said.
He recalled some Croatian whistler-blowers, such as Ankica Lepej
(who revealed information about the bank accounts of the wife of the
late president Franjo Tudjman), Vesna Balenovic (the INA oil
company case), and police officer Kresimir Misic (who pulled over
former Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic and gave him an alcohol test).
The HSLS believes that the practice where people who are fighting
for the rule of law are sanctioned and subjected to prosecution
should stop and such employees receive protection in cases where
they voice founded suspicions about the violation of law by their
employer.
Most MPs believe that whistler-blowers should be protected under
law, or by a special law which would be better than the one offered,
or by amendments to one of the existing laws.
The parliament will vote on the HSLS proposal on Friday.
(hina) lml sb