The worldwide recession has provided a public call for greater transparency and accountability in financial markets. But the complexity and detail of these markets and companies make identifying wrongdoing difficult to the point that often only insiders can identify when malfeasance occurs. What issues face international, and national, finance whistleblowers? Why is the only person being sent to jail for the recent UBS scandal involving illegal off-shore tax havens the whistleblower, Brad Birkenfeld, whose disclosures prompted the government to recoup 800 million dollars worth of fines, penalties and back-taxes? We speak with Jack Blum of the Tax Justice Network, and Jesselyn Radack of the Government Accountability Project.
Then, Billie Garde is a whistleblower survivor whos successfully turned lemons into lemonade. After fighting improper behavior at a U.S. Census office, she faced retaliation not only against her professional life, but on a personal level. After gaining a measure of justice for herself, she became an attorney and has made a career of helping others with the courage to stand up to wrongdoing.
This episode was filmed in October 2009.
