Protection of whistleblowers

The Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers of the Republic of Lithuania(hereinafter referred to as the "Law") establishes a mechanism for the protection of persons who have provided information on an infringement in an institution with which they are or have been bound by service, employment or contractual relations. The Law also establishes the rights and obligations of persons who report infringements in institutions, the grounds and forms of their legal protection, as well as measures to protect, encourage and assist such persons, in order to enable them to report infringements of the law that threaten or violate the public interest, and to ensure the prevention and disclosure of such infringements. 

Whistleblower - a person who submits information about a violation in an institution with which he/she is connected or has been connected by service or employment relationships, or contractual relationships (consulting, contract, internship, practice, volunteering, etc.), and who is recognized as a whistleblower by the competent authority (the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Lithuania).

Under the Law, information on infringements is provided in the following situations: 

• endangerment of public safety or health, or a person's life or health;
• danger to the environment;
• obstruction or improperly influence of investigations by law enforcement authorities or the administration of justice by the courts;
• financing illegal activities;
• illegal or non-transparent use of public funds or assets;
• illegally acquired wealth;
• concealing the consequences of an infringement, obstructing the determination of the extent of the consequences; 
• other infringements. 

In order to effectively implement the provisions of the Law, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, by Resolution No 1133 of 14 November 2018 "On the Implementation of the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers of the Republic of Lithuania ", has approved: 

• Description of the procedure for remunerating whistleblowers in return for valuable information;
• Description of the procedure for compensating whistleblowers for any adverse effects or potential effects resulting from the submission of a notification; 

A description of the procedures for the implementation and functioning of internal channels for providing information on infringements, which sets out the requirements for the implementation of internal whistleblowing channels in institutions, their functioning, the submission, investigation, handling and confidentiality of information provided with notifications on infringements within the institution.