MPs supported, in general, with the President's proposals, the draft law "On amendments to the law of Ukraine 'On corruption prevention' to streamline certain issues of protecting whistleblowers."

Corresponding bill No. 3450 was supported by 281 MPs at a meeting on Tuesday.

According to the new version, Article 53 on ensuring conditions for reporting information about possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses provides that state bodies, local authorities, legal entities of public law are obliged to ensure the functioning of internal channels for reporting possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses.

According to the same article, the prosecution authorities, the National Police, NABU, SBI and NAPC are obliged to ensure the functioning of internal regular channels for reporting possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses.

The draft law provides that the transmission of messages, including anonymous ones, through internal channels of messages about possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses is carried out through a single portal of reports of whistleblowers and a special telephone line, which is open for round-the-clock access.

Information about possible facts of corruption or corruption-related offenses received through regular communication channels of such information is entered into the unified reporting portal of whistleblowers by authorized persons of the relevant entities.

When persons use any other means of carrying out messages about possible facts of corruption offenses (sending messages, including anonymous ones, in paper or electronic form or during a personal reception, through a special telephone line, etc.), they are guaranteed to comply with the terms of confidentiality and anonymity. Such information is entered into a single portal for whistleblowers' messages.

According to the bill, the unified portal of whistleblowers' messages is an information and telecommunications system, which has a comprehensive information protection system and provides data exchange with the whistleblower using the Internet, collection, storage, use, protection, accounting, search for generalizations of whistleblowers, as well as other information, including the status of whistleblowers, the state and results of consideration of whistleblowers' reports.

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky returned to the Verkhovna Rada with his proposals the law "On amendments to the law of Ukraine 'On prevention of corruption' to streamline certain issues of protection of whistleblowers", which was adopted in parliament on February 4, 2021.

"The veto was applied because of the proposal to add whistleblowers to the Unified Register, but there is no protection of whistleblowers' rights. We must protect whistleblowers, change the approach from the point of view of their safety, as in civilized countries. Anyone has the right to contact law enforcement agencies to inform about corrupt practices," the head of state said in this regard.