Protecting whistleblowers to continue our fight for truth and justice - Casa, Zammit Dimech

The new EU-wide rules being adopted tomorrow by the European Parliament are crucial to ensure that whistleblowers and investigative journalists are protected across the continent. Both whistleblowers and investigative journalists are crucial for corruption, money laundering and breach of rules to be exposed. Therefore, we are sending a strong message that we will not stop in our fight for truth and justice, never.

This was the main message of MEPs David Casa and Francis Zammit Dimech’s speeches at the European Parliament during a Plenary Debate on the Protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law. This new law will be voted upon by the Plenary of the European Parliament tomorrow.

Partit Nazzjonalista’s Head of Delegation in the European Parliament David Casa, who is the EPP Group Rapporteur on this law in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee said, “I have seen how whistleblowers and investigative journalists have been vilified and attacked, especially in instances when they expose those at the highest levels of Government. Such journalists are professionals, risking their lives and their families’ lives in order to disclose massive irregularities and corruption schemes. Journalists and whistleblowers should be adequately protected. We owe this new legislation for their courage against such adversities.”

David Casa explained that after witnessing first-hand the courage showed by whistleblowers and investigative journalists, he has been advocating for such EU-wide rules which protect whistleblowers. The new rules will guarantee protection for those exposing breach of EU rules, ranging from corruption and money laundering, to environmental protection.

Member of the European Parliament Francis Zammit Dimech, who is the EPP Group Rapporteur on this law in the Culture and Media Committee said, “Whistleblowing legislation sends a clear message that we want to protect citizens who expose corruption, that we want to protect investigative journalists and that we want to ensure that the rights of citizens to be aware of information that is of concern or interest to them, is safeguarded.”

Francis Zammit Dimech also tabled amendments to strengthen the law in the Committee on Legal Affairs of which he is a member. His proposals included ensuring that persons who disclose information publicly, qualify for protection, where reporting persons have valid reasons to believe that there is collusion between the perpetrator of the breach and the relevant authorities, or that evidence can be concealed and destroyed where it not for whistleblowers opting to publicly disclose the information that they discover. Moreover, Zammit Dimech has ensured the protection of journalists who at times serve as intermediaries or facilitators for whistleblowers in the process of exposing truth and corruption.