The National Assembly of Senegal has adopted a law establishing, for the first time, a legal framework to protect whistleblowers in cases of corruption and economic crimes.
The text defines their status and grants them several guarantees such as protection against retaliation (dismissal, harassment, demotion), the right to anonymity unless consent is given, criminal immunity for reports made in good faith, as well as a financial reward of up to 10% of the amounts recovered, reports Ecofin Agency.
Alerts may concern corruption, embezzlement of funds, economic fraud, or any serious violation of the public interest, with the exception of information covered by defense, medical, or judicial secrecy.
The law also creates a Special Fund for the recovery of assets derived from fraud and corruption. This mechanism will serve to compensate whistleblowers and finance social programs, while also supporting the prevention and fight against economic crimes.
This reform is part of a series of recent measures aimed at strengthening transparency and public governance, alongside the restructuring of the National Office for the Fight Against Fraud and Corruption (OFNAC) and the expansion of asset declaration requirements.