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 about a violation in an institution with which they are connected or were connected by service or employment relations or contractual relations. The law also establishes the rights and obligations of persons who report violations in institutions, the bases and forms of their legal protection, as well as the means of protection, promotion and assistance of these persons, in order to create adequate opportunities to report violations of the law that threaten or violate the public interest, to ensure prevention and disclosure of such violations.

Information about a violation in the service of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania or in an institution subordinate to the service - the state archive (hereinafter referred to as an institution of the state archives system) can be submitted by a person who is or was connected to the institution of the state archives system by service or employment relationships or contractual relationships (consulting, contracts, internships, practice, volunteering, etc.) and who provides information about the violation in this institution.

Violation - a criminal act, administrative offense, official misconduct or violation of work duties, as well as a gross violation of mandatory norms of professional ethics or other violation of the law that threatens or violates the public interest, may be prepared, committed or committed in the institution of the state archives system, about which the person submitting learns information about the violation from the service, work or contractual relations he has or should have with the institution of the state archives system.

According to the Law, information about violations is provided for:

1) danger to public safety or health, personal life or health;

2) environmental hazards;

3) obstructing or unlawfully influencing investigations conducted by law enforcement authorities or courts in the administration of justice;

4) financing of illegal activities;

5) illegal or non-transparent use of public fonds or property;

6) illegally acquired property;

7) concealing the consequences of the committed violation, preventing the determination of the extent of the consequences;

8) other violations.

It should be noted that information about violations is provided to protect the public interest. Providing information for the purpose of defending exclusively personal interests is not considered a notification.

A person can submit information about a violation to the institution of the state archives system in the following ways:

• Through an internal whistleblower channel. Send information about the violation to the e-mail address [email protected].

We recommend reporting a breach by completing this breach notification form. Information about a violation can also be submitted in a free-form notification, but it must state that the information about the violation is provided in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers and the following information must be provided: who, when, in what way and what kind of violation committed, is doing or is preparing to commit, etc. .; the date and circumstances of becoming aware of the violation; name, surname, personal identification number, workplace, other contact details of the person reporting the violation; if possible, any available documents, data or information revealing signs of a possible violation are provided.

We would like to inform you that after submitting information about a violation in accordance with this form or submitting a free-form notification stating that information about a violation is provided in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers, the information about the violation will be transferred to the competent authority (Prosecution Office of the Republic of Lithuania) within 2 working days.

• Directly to the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Lithuania

The procedure for submitting reports on violations in institutions to the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Lithuania is established by the procedure

A person may apply directly to the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Lithuania regarding a violation, when at least one of the following circumstances exists: the violation is of fundamental importance to the public interest; it is necessary to prevent or terminate the violation as soon as possible, as significant damage may occur; the persons in charge, associated with the institution through work or service or contractual relations may themselves commit or have committed violations; a breach was reported through the internal breach reporting channel, but no response was received or no action was taken in response to the information provided, or the measures taken were ineffective; there is reason to believe that when information about a violation is submitted through the internal channel for reporting violations, the anonymity of the reporter or the confidentiality of the person may not be ensured or an attempt will be made to conceal the reported violation; the institution does not have a functioning internal channel for reporting violations; the person cannot use the internal channel for providing information about violations, because he no longer has a job, service or other legal relationship with the institution.

• Publicly

Public information about a violation may be provided in order to report an imminent danger to human life, public health or the environment, when in order to prevent such a threat it is necessary to take urgent action and due to lack of time there are no opportunities to report the violation in other ways or when the violation was not reported in time in other ways necessary action has been taken.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is guaranteed to a person who has provided information about a violation in accordance with the Law.

The requirement to ensure confidentiality does not apply when:

1) this is requested in writing by the person who submits or has submitted information about the violation;

2) the person provides known false information.

Examination of information about the violation

The internal channel for providing information about violations is administered, the information about violations received through this channel is examined, the confidentiality of the person who submitted information about violations (except for the cases specified in the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers) is ensured by the Chief Specialist of the Activity Administration and Finance Department of the Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania, who is responsible for a corruption-resistant environment creation, Asta Baranauskienė, in her absence - Head of the Business Administration and Finance Department, Rasa Miškelevičiūtė.

The procedure for receiving, evaluating, decision-making, and ensuring the confidentiality of information obtained in detail about violations that may be prepared, committed or committed in the institution of the state archives system is regulated by the description of the procedure for providing information in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Whistleblowers of the Republic of Lithuania in the Office of the Chief Archivist of Lithuania and in the state archives.

The description of the procedure for compensation to whistleblowers for valuable information and the description of the procedure for compensating whistleblowers for experiencing negative effects or possible consequences due to the submitted report are approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in 2018. November 14 by resolution no. 1133 "On the Implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Law of the Republic of Lithuania".

Providing known false information, as well as information constituting a state or official secret, does not provide a person with guarantees according to the Law. A person who has provided known false information or disclosed a state or official secret or a professional secret shall be liable in accordance with the procedure established by legal acts.

Consultations

In case of questions regarding the Whistleblower Protection Law, Compensation for Whistleblowers for Valuable Information and Compensation for Whistleblowers for Experiencing Negative Impacts or Possible Consequences Due to Submitted Report Procedure Descriptions, approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in 2018. November 14 by resolution no. 1133 "On the Implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Law of the Republic of Lithuania", please call the General Prosecutor's Office at (8 5) 266 2329.

Contact numbers for questions about submitting information through the internal breach reporting channel:
Asta Baranauskienė Ph. number: +370 649 74708;
Rasa Miškelevičiūtė Ph. number: +370 675 08386.