Dubai to protect whistleblowers who disclose financial violations of public entities

Whistleblowers in Dubai will now be protected for disclosing information on violations committed by public companies under a new decree issued on Tuesday by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Dubai Judicial Council.

These government employees will be shielded for revealing information related to financial or administrative violations, or for cooperating with the Financial Audit Authority in Dubai during investigations.

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It also extends to employees who may have been requested to provide testimony during investigations related to such violations.

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The employment status of these individuals, which might be considered a big risk factor in such situations, will be protected by the Financial Audit Authority, it confirmed.

Under the new decision, all reports submitted to the authority will be treated with strict confidentiality and no form of pressure will be imposed on these employees. Employees of the Financial Audit Authority are strictly prohibited from disclosing, sharing, or revealing any data or information contained in these reports under any circumstances.

Investigators tasked with conducting investigations must possess the necessary expertise relevant to the nature and procedures of such cases. They are also required to fully uphold confidentiality to ensure that whistleblowers are not exposed to any harm.

For employees who may want to report any such violation, the new decree defines procedures and conditions for requesting protection. It also establishes legal and procedural frameworks to encourage employees to report violations within entities under the authority’s oversight.

Dubai places great importance towards the protection of whistleblowers with the city's Economy and Tourism department also having an External Whistleblower Protection Policy set in place.

The policy aims at ensuring that no whistleblower sustains any potential damage and protects them from harm after reporting violations, fraud, or unethical issues.

Policy explained

Whistleblowers in Dubai entities can report on multiple types of violations under this policy. These include malpractices, including any criminal or financial violations, breach of any legal or regulatory obligations or internal organiational requirements or any acts that pose a threat to health, safety or environment.

Employees can also report on the following issues:

Unethical Issues: Acts or practices — whether done intentionally or unintentionally — that may contradict morals, harm reputation, lack equity or do not conform with approved labour standards or professional or social behaviour.

Fraud: An unethical or illegal act characterised by dishonesty and the premeditated intention to conceal a fact, either in words, acts or counterfeiting, which would result in financial or non-financial loss. This includes incorrect accounting practices or false financial reporting with misleading intention.

Integrity: Treating someone unfairly and discriminating against people or letting a bias take over in profession matters, public affairs management and in relationship with others.

These policies make sure that the identity of the whistleblower remains concealed and there is full non-disclosure of his/her's whereabouts unless required by relevant authorities as per their jurisdictions.

Additionally, under these laws, no whistleblower will be considered to have violated the provisions of legalisation, agreements and representations related to disclosure of confidential information, whether in the entity for which the whistleblower works or deals with, unless the report is false.

The authority will also work to protect the individual from revenge, harassment or prosecution by other employees, and also any bias that they might face — internally or externally — in the present or the future.

If a DET employee violates this policy, action will be taken according to the relevant laws and regulations of Department of Dubai Government Human Resources (DGHR).

Dubai's mystery shopper app

Not satisfied with a government service? Residents, customers and employees in Dubai have their own platform to rate these services without revealing their identities.

Launched in 2020, the mystery shopper service allows people to evaluate their overall experience at government centres, including factors like employee attitude, waiting time, payment issues, and even parking management.

Dubai's Ruler has been at the forefront of the campaign and often announces the results through his social media platform. During the past years, he also showed up unannounced at local government offices in one instance and found that certain managers and senior officials were not present during work hours.

He had also once publicly reprimanded an Emirates Post office branch over poor services and shared a photo of long queues.

Recently, the efforts of one employee caught the attention of the Ruler for his 'cheerful nature' while working at a vehicle inspection and registration centre in Dubai's Al Qusais.

UAE laws

In a first of its kind, in 2022, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) launched a regulatory regime for whistleblowing which applies to all DFSA-regulated entities operating in or from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Meanwhile in 2020, a draft bill on protecting witnesses in court cases was proposed and discussed at the Federal National Council (FNC). It proposed fines of up to Dh100,000 and a six-month jail term for those who violate the programme and leak confidential information.

In the Capital city of Abu Dhabi, an application 'Wajib' was launched in 2022 to report violations, allowing individuals to confidentially report financial and administrative corruption in Abu Dhabi.

On a broader scale, the UAE Government routinely ranks departments - from best to worst — in terms of providing services. In 2023, a director of a hospital was dismissed after the facility was ranked the worst service centre.