Whistleblowing — informing about a public servant’s breach of law or ethics — is effective only where the whistleblower enjoys real protection guarantees. In Georgia these guarantees are established by a dedicated chapter of the Law of Georgia on the Fight against Corruption. On this page we explain what constitutes whistleblowing and who counts as a whistleblower, how a disclosure may be made, what is prohibited against the whistleblower, and what rights the accused person holds. An important clarification: the regime discussed here governs disclosures connected with public service — internal whistleblowing models for the private sector remain outside the scope of this page.
Whistleblowing and the Whistleblower — the Core Concepts
The law defines whistleblowing as the informing, by the whistleblower, of the review body, an investigator, a prosecutor or the Public Defender of a public servant’s breach of legislation or of norms containing general rules of ethics and conduct, where such a breach exists and has harmed or may harm the public interest or the reputation of the respective public institution. Whistleblowing also includes informing civil society or the mass media after the review body, investigator, prosecutor or Public Defender has taken a decision.
The review body is the structural unit of the respective public institution performing internal control or official inspection. The law protects not only the whistleblower but also close relatives — parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, the spouse and a person permanently living with the whistleblower. The circle of protection is built around these two rings.