EIDGENÖSSISCHE FINANZKONTROLLE CONTRÔLE FÉDÉRAL DES FINANCES CONTROLLO FEDERALE DELLE FINANZE SWISS FEDERAL AUDIT OFFICE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT BERN | MAY 2019 SWISS FEDERAL AUDIT OFFICE Monbijoustrasse 45 3003 Bern – Switzerland T. +41 58 463 11 11 F. +41 58 453 11 00
[email protected] twitter @EFK_CDF_SFAO WWW.SFAO.ADMIN.CH DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD FROM WHISTLEBLOWING TO PARTICIPATORY AUDITING In 2008, federal employees were not form www.whistleblowing.admin.ch. It is legally required to report the felonies now the IT system that ensures the an- they encountered to the courts. The onymous processing of reports. These experts of GRECO, a Council of Europe reports come from federal employees, anti-corruption body, pointed out this but also from third parties who have wit- shortcoming at that time in their evalu- nessed irregularities. ation report on Switzerland. For the SFAO, processing this infor- To remedy this shortcoming, the Federal mation is not simple. It is necessary to Office of Justice, in close cooperation sift through the information and critic- with the Federal Office of Personnel and ally verify onsite whether it is plausible. the Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO), Some reports may actually be intended introduced on 1 January 2011 the new to harm someone. It is then necessary Article 22a of the Federal Personnel to identify the appropriate time to initiate Act and the obligation to report felonies possible criminal proceedings and avoid and misdemeanours prosecuted ex of- obstructing them by alerting the perpe- ficio. This is when whistleblowing was trators of an offence. In any case, noth- launched at the federal administrative ing that could put the whistleblower in level.