St. Kitts and Nevis Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2023

This Act protects public officers who report corrupt or improper conduct in good faith. Reports can be submitted in writing or spoken out loud, and individuals can also choose to make reports anonymously.

Reports must generally be made to designated authorities, including:

• The Chairperson of the Integrity Commission
• The Special Prosecutor
• The Director of Public Prosecutions
• The Ombudsman
• The Chief Medical Officer
• The Prime Minister (specifically for matters affecting national security, defence, or international relations)

If a public officer makes a report in good faith, their employer cannot fire, suspend, demote, harass, or penalize them. If a worker is punished at or around the same time they make a disclosure, the law automatically assumes the punishment was retaliation unless the employer can prove otherwise.

This law creates strict penalties for misconduct:

• Leaking a whistleblower's identity without written permission carries a fine of up to $100,000, up to 2 years in prison, or both.
• Knowingly making a false report, stopping someone from reporting, punishing a whistleblower, or destroying evidence carries fines between $50,000 and $100,000, and prison terms ranging from 2 to 5 years.