Evaluation of the Concept of Whistleblowing in Turkish Company Law from A Comparative Corporate Law Perspective

Meltem Karatepe Kaya; Ekrem Solak

Article Details

Evaluation of the Concept of Whistleblowing in Turkish Company Law from A Comparative Corporate Law Perspective

Authors:

Meltem Karatepe Kaya | Ekrem Solak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Journal:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 3, pp.699-748

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315859

pISSN:

2636-7734

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Individuals who report illegal activities, abuses, corruption, or unethical practices within an organization to the relevant authorized unit within the organization, applicable administrative body, or the general public are considered whistleblowers. In several cases, whistleblowers prevent illegal activity in corporations by informing the public and appropriate administrative entities; however, the significance of whistleblowers in company law has not been recognized. In particular, the whistleblowers actions in corporations are severely limited due to the absence of a legal protection system for whistleblowers. Today, to prevent this problem, many countries have implemented legal regulations on whistleblower activities within the company. In the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the United States, for instance, the significance of whistleblower protection was recognized. Moreover, the SarbanesOxley Act and the DoddFrank Act, which were enacted subsequent to the 20072008 financial crisis, respectively, incorporated provisions for safeguarding the whistleblowers. Similarly, the Public Interest Disclosure Act was adopted in the United Kingdom in 1998. In addition, the European Union adopted the European Union Notification Directive No. 20191937 in 2019 to regulate and protect whistleblowers in the commercial and public sectors. However, no law in Turkey guides the recognition of unlawful violations and the protection of whistleblowers by implementing a whistleblowing system in companies. Therefore, first, this article will establish the theoretical basis underpinning whistleblowing in the context of corporate governance and compliance. Second, the role and significance of whistleblowing in comparative law and the lessons that can be applied in Turkish law will be addressed. Finally, evaluations of the Turkish corporate law provisions about whistleblowing will conclude the paper, suggesting that incorporating whistleblowing mechanisms into Turkish corporate governance frameworks could potentially aid in minimizing corporate abuses and wrongdoing.

 Individuals who report illegal activities, abuses, corruption, or unethical practices within an organization to the relevant authorized unit within the organization, applicable administrative body, or the general public are considered whistleblowers. In several cases, whistleblowers prevent illegal activity in corporations by informing the public and appropriate administrative entities; however, the significance of whistleblowers in company law has not been recognized. In particular, the whistleblowers actions in corporations are severely limited due to the absence of a legal protection system for whistleblowers. Today, to prevent this problem, many countries have implemented legal regulations on whistleblower activities within the company. In the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the United States, for instance, the significance of whistleblower protection was recognized. Moreover, the SarbanesOxley Act and the DoddFrank Act, which were enacted subsequent to the 20072008 financial crisis, respectively, incorporated provisions for safeguarding the whistleblowers. Similarly, the Public Interest Disclosure Act was adopted in the United Kingdom in 1998. In addition, the European Union adopted the European Union Notification Directive No. 20191937 in 2019 to regulate and protect whistleblowers in the commercial and public sectors. However, no law in Turkey guides the recognition of unlawful violations and the protection of whistleblowers by implementing a whistleblowing system in companies. Therefore, first, this article will establish the theoretical basis underpinning whistleblowing in the context of corporate governance and compliance. Second, the role and significance of whistleblowing in comparative law and the lessons that can be applied in Turkish law will be addressed. Finally, evaluations of the Turkish corporate law provisions about whistleblowing will conclude the paper, suggesting that incorporating whistleblowing mechanisms into Turkish corporate governance frameworks could potentially aid in minimizing corporate abuses and wrongdoing.

 Individuals who report illegal activities, abuses, corruption, or unethical practices within an organization to the relevant authorized unit within the organization, applicable administrative body, or the general public are considered whistleblowers. In several cases, whistleblowers prevent illegal activity in corporations by informing the public and appropriate administrative entities; however, the significance of whistleblowers in company law has not been recognized. In particular, the whistleblowers actions in corporations are severely limited due to the absence of a legal protection system for whistleblowers. Today, to prevent this problem, many countries have implemented legal regulations on whistleblower activities within the company. In the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the United States, for instance, the significance of whistleblower protection was recognized. Moreover, the SarbanesOxley Act and the DoddFrank Act, which were enacted subsequent to the 20072008 financial crisis, respectively, incorporated provisions for safeguarding the whistleblowers. Similarly, the Public Interest Disclosure Act was adopted in the United Kingdom in 1998. In addition, the European Union adopted the European Union Notification Directive No. 20191937 in 2019 to regulate and protect whistleblowers in the commercial and public sectors. However, no law in Turkey guides the recognition of unlawful violations and the protection of whistleblowers by implementing a whistleblowing system in companies. Therefore, first, this article will establish the theoretical basis underpinning whistleblowing in the context of corporate governance and compliance. Second, the role and significance of whistleblowing in comparative law and the lessons that can be applied in Turkish law will be addressed. Finally, evaluations of the Turkish corporate law provisions about whistleblowing will conclude the paper, suggesting that incorporating whistleblowing mechanisms into Turkish corporate governance frameworks could potentially aid in minimizing corporate abuses and wrongdoing.

 İhbarcılar, genel olarak bir organizasyon çatısı altındaki hukuka aykırı eylemleri, suiistimalleri, yolsuzlukları veya etik dışı işlemleri, organizasyon içindeki yetkili birime, ilgili idari kuruluşa veya kamuya bildiren kişi olarak tanımlanmaktadır. İhbarcıların kamunun ve ilgili idari kuruluşların haberdar olmasını sağlayarak şirketlerdeki hukuka aykırılıkları önledikleri birçok örnek bulunsa da ihbarcılar şirketler hukukunda hak ettiği değeri görmüş değildir. Özellikle ihbarcılar için kanuni bir koruma mekanizmasının bulunmaması nedeniyle şirketlerde ihbarcı faaliyetleri oldukça kısıtlanmıştır. Günümüzde bu sorunun önüne geçebilmek adına birçok ülkede ihbarcıların şirket içerisindeki faaliyetlerine yönelik hukuki düzenlemeler mevcuttur. Örneğin, Amerika Birleşik Devletlerinde Enron ve WorldCom skandallarında ihbarcıların önemi anlaşılmış ve akabinde kabul edilen Sarbanes-Oxley Yasasında ve 2007-2008 finansal krizinden sonra kabul edilen Dodd-Frank Yasasında ihbarcıların korunmasına ilişkin düzenlemelere yer verilmiştir. Benzer şekilde Birleşik Krallıkta 1998 yılında Kamu Yararına Aydınlatma Kanunu Public Interest Disclosure Act PIDA yasalaşmıştır. Avrupa Birliği de 2019 yılında özel ve kamu sektörlerinde ihbarcılığın düzenlenmesi ve ihbarcıların korunması amacıyla 20191937 sayılı Avrupa Birliği İhbarcılık Direktifini kabul etmiştir. Belirtmeliyiz ki, ülkemizde ihbarcılık mekanizmasının şirketlerde işletilerek hukuka aykırılıkların tespitine ve devamında ihbarcıların korunmasına yönelik bir düzenleme bulunmamaktadır. Çalışmamızda, ilk olarak, ihbarcılık kavramının teorik altyapısı kurumsal yönetim ve uyum compliance bağlamında açıklanacak, sonrasında kavramın karşılaştırmalı hukuktaki yeri ve önemi incelenerek Türk hukuku bakımından alınması gereken örnekler tespit edilecek ve son olarak da ihbarcılığa Türk kurumsal yönetim yapılarında yer verilmesinin şirketlerde gerçekleşen suiistimalleri ve hukuka aykırılıkları azaltabileceğinden bahisle Türk şirketler hukukunda ihbarcılık düzenlemesine ilişkin değerlendirmeler sunulacaktır.

Article Details

Evaluation of the Concept of Whistleblowing in Turkish Company Law from A Comparative Corporate Law Perspective

Authors:

Meltem Karatepe Kaya | Ekrem Solak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Journal:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 3, pp.699-748

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315859

pISSN:

2636-7734

Whistleblowing

Comparative Company Law

Corporate Governance

Compliance

Delegation of Powerİhbarcılık

Karşılaştırmalı Şirketler Hukuku

Kurumsal Yönetim

Uyum

Yetki Devri

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Meltem Karatepe Kaya | Ekrem Solak

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Journal: İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 3, pp.699-748

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 4/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001315859

pISSN: 2636-7734

Issues

Authors:

Meltem Karatepe Kaya | Ekrem Solak

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Journal:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.81 Issue 3, pp.699-748

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001315859

pISSN:

2636-7734