Whistleblowing
Unlawful acts and other irregularities can occur in any organisation, be they in the form of corruption, indiscretions, fraud or other types of misconduct. Whistleblowers make an important contribution to both public administrations and society when they report suspected misconduct at an early stage. If such misconduct is exposed, trust is strengthened over the long term.
Do you have a suspicion of irregularities, corruption, indiscretions or other unlawful acts? The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) welcomes reports from federal employees and private individuals about harmful conduct in the Federal Administration, in organisations affiliated to the Confederation or on the part of subsidy recipients.
Reports can be submitted via various channels. A specially created and secure external platform (www.whistleblowing.admin.ch) is available for this purpose. It enables whistleblowers to report information anonymously and securely, as well as upload files. The reports cannot be traced back to the whistleblower.
Did you know that…
Effective since 2011, federal employees are obliged to report all felonies and misdemeanours subject to ex officio prosecution that are reported to them, or that they discover in the course of their official activities, to their superiors, the SFAO or the prosecution authorities. A justified suspicion is sufficient for reporting; evidence is not mandatory.
Federal employees may likewise report other irregularities that they observe or learn of in the course of their professional activities. Such information may also be useful for the SFAO in its auditing activities, for example, and it may help to leverage potential for improvement.
The SFAO receives numerous reports from whistleblowers every year:
Number of whistleblower reports received (2014–2023)
Federal employees who make a report in good faith are protected by law from any discrimination in their job as a result.
It is encouraging to see that the number of whistleblowing reporting offices in public administrations almost doubled throughout Switzerland between 2018 and 2022, as shown in the study commissioned by the SFAO and conducted by the University of Applied Sciences in Graubünden (FHGR).
The Federal Office of Personnel (FOPER) has published a brochure entitled “Prevention of corruption and whistleblowing“. SFAO Vice-director Eric-Serge Jeannet has also published an article and a contribution in Schweizer Monat.
Origin of reports in 2023 (without COVID-19 reports)
| Group of people | Percentage |
| Employees | 34 % |
| External | 66 % |
| Anonymous (all groups) | 71,2 % |
Reports received by the SFAO (2011–2023)
| Year | Number |
| 2023 | 350 (+22 COVID-19 reports) |
| 2022 | 232 (+47 COVID-19 reports) |
| 2021 | 174 (+228 COVID-19 reports) |
| 2020 | 171 (+313 COVID-19 reports) |
| 2019 | 187 |
| 2018 | 164 |
| 2017 | 122 |
| 2016 | 78 |
| 2015 | 64 |
| 2014 | 82 |
| 2013 | 70 |