Whistleblowers who expose tax dodging should be praised – not punished. Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet acted in the public interest – exposing corporate tax cheats who are depriving countries across Europe and the globe out of millions of Euros tax revenues. This is money which is desperately needed to pay for doctors, teachers and care workers.”
Responding to the verdict in the retrial of the LuxLeaks Whistleblowers, Max Lawson, Oxfam’s Inequality Policy Lead said:
“Whistleblowers who expose tax dodging should be praised – not punished. Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet acted in the public interest – exposing corporate tax cheats who are depriving countries across Europe and the globe out of millions of Euros tax revenues. This is money which is desperately needed to pay for doctors, teachers and care workers.”
“Governments must provide protection for whistleblowers who act in the public interest but they should not rely on whistleblowers to police our tax systems. Governments should insist that all multinational companies publish financial information for every country where they operate so that it’s clear if they are paying their fair share of tax.”
Notes to editors
Antoine Deltour and Raphaël Halet’s sentences have been reduced as a result of the retrial. Deltour has received a suspended 6-month jail sentence and a fine of €1,500€. Halet is sentenced to a fine of 1,000 €. The journalist Édouard Perrin is acquitted.
