Italy must not lower guard against corruption says Busìa

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 8 - There must be no backtracking in the fight against corruption because, despite the undoubted results obtained in recent years, "the phenomenon is still widespread", the head of Italian anti-corruption authority ANAC, Giuseppe Busìa, said on Friday.
    "In recent years Italy has taken important steps forward in the fight against corruption," Busìa told ANSA on the International Day against Corruption.
    "Since the creation of ANAC, from 2014 to today, Italy has risen by 28 positions according to Transparency International's annual corruption perception ranking," he added.
    "However, we must not lower our guard," he warned.
    Busia reported that already "600 whistleblowing reports have been transmitted to ANAC since 15 July", when a new law protecting whistleblowers in the workplace took effect.
    This, he said is "a significant number that is destined to grow further" after December 17, when "the protection of whistleblowers will be extended to private companies with between 50 and 249 employees, which will therefore have to activate an internal channel for the transmission and management of reports".
    "We are talking about genuine 'civic lookouts', who are ready to put their own interests on the line to denounce unlawful behaviour. They are a fundamental lever, not only to bring corruption and crime to light, but also to grow and improve the efficiency of the public and private sectors," continued Busìa.
    This, he said, is why whistleblower protection is "an internationally recognised right, an extension of the right to freedom of expression".
    "Protecting whistleblowers from retaliatory behaviour is the Authority's imperative.
    Those who responsibly report irregularities know that they can find protection, without fear of retaliation by their superiors," he told ANSA. (ANSA).