Whistleblowing

The conditions for providing protection to persons in an employment or other similar relationship in connection with reporting crime or other anti-social activities (hereinafter referred to as "anti-social activities") and the rights and obligations of persons when reporting anti-social activities are regulated by Act No. 54/2019 Coll. on the Protection of Whistleblowers and on Amendments to Certain Acts (hereinafter referred to as the "Whistleblower Protection Act").

Pursuant to Section 10(9) of the Act on the Protection of Whistleblowers, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry") has issued an internal management act – Directive of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Slovak Republic No. 18/2025 on the internal system for the screening of reports of anti-social activities (hereinafter referred to as the "Directive"), which regulates in particular the procedure for submitting, receiving, registering and verifying reports of anti-social activities and the conditions for providing protection to whistleblowers.

The Ministry has issued this Directive and through the Data Protection Officer, it performs tasks under the Act on the Protection of Whistleblowers also in relation to legal entities under the Ministry's competence employing fewer than 50 employees, which are:

  • Anti-Doping Agency of the Slovak Republic,
  • National Sports Centre,
  • Sports Support Fund,
  • Tourism Promotion Fund 

The Ministry contributes to a transparent and ethical culture in the workplace and declares that all reports of anti-social activities will be verified, whistleblowers will be protected and detected violations will be dealt with according to their type in accordance with the relevant legislation. 

The responsible person who performs the tasks of the Ministry under the Whistleblower Protection Act is the Department of Control, Petitions and Complaints.

Notifier

  • only a natural person may be a whistleblower,
  • A report on anti-social activities related to the Ministry may be submitted to the Ministry by any employee of the Ministry as well as by another natural person pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Whistleblower Protection Act, such as a former employee of the Ministry, a person who participated in a selection procedure or a supplier of the Ministry.

A notification means:

  • stating the facts of which the natural person has become aware in connection with an employment or other similar relationship and which relate to anti-social activity,
a report that may contribute or has contributed to the clarification of serious anti-social activity under Section 2(d) of the Whistleblower Protection Act (e.g. a criminal offence of embezzlement, fraud, damage to the financial interests of the European Union, manipulation in public procurement, accepting a bribe, bribery, administrative offence punishable by a fine of at least EUR 30,000, etc.) or to the identification or conviction of its perpetrator; is a qualified notification.

Anti-social activity means:

  • crime, i.e. conduct that constitutes a criminal offence;
  • other anti-social activities, i.e.
  • conduct that is an offence or other administrative offence;
  • conduct that is not an offence or other administrative offence, but has a negative effect on society and at the same time is capable of endangering or violating the public interest. 

A report on anti-social activity can be filed:

  • to the responsible person of the Ministry:
  • in paper form by mail to the address of the Ministry (Pribinova 16549/32, 810 08 Bratislava) marked on the envelope "Department of Control, Petitions and Complaints – DO NOT OPEN",
  • orally in the minutes; for this purpose, the whistleblower may request a personal meeting with the responsible person,
electronically to the e-mail address protispolocenska.cinnost@mincrs.sk, which is available 24 hours a day – this e-mail address is not used for filing complaints, petitions, notifications under special regulations (e.g. according to Act No. 9/2010 Coll., No. 211/2000 Coll., No. 71/1967 Coll., etc.), or for directly filing criminal complaints that fall within the competence of law enforcement authorities (police, prosecutor's office).A report can also be submitted anonymously. A whistleblower who submits a report anonymously may provide an anonymous e-mail address through which he or she may continue to communicate in the matter.

The authorities competent to receive the notification: the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers,the Public Prosecutor's Office, in the case of suspicion of a criminal offence,to the competent administrative authority in the event of a suspicion of an administrative offence that constitutes a serious anti-social activity,other competent institution, body, office or agency of the European Union.

Whistleblower protection

  • Protected whistleblower status (preventive protection)
  • a whistleblower who has made a report in the matter of serious anti-social activity to a law enforcement authority or an authority competent for administrative offence proceedings (hereinafter referred to as the "administrative authority") may apply for such protection when filing a report or during criminal/administrative proceedings;
  • the application is submitted to the public prosecutor or the competent administrative authority in writing or orally in the minutes;
if the prosecutor/administrative authority finds out that the whistleblower who submitted the application for protection has made a qualified report, it shall immediately provide the whistleblower with protection pursuant to Section 7 of the Whistleblower Protection Act – it shall grant the status of a protected whistleblower and notify the whistleblower, the Ministry and the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers of this fact in writing;upon delivery of the notification of the provision of protection to the Ministry, the whistleblower becomes a protected whistleblower,if the whistleblower has obtained the status of a protected whistleblower, the Ministry may take a legal act or issue a decision in an employment relationship against a protected whistleblower to which he or she has not consented, only with the consent of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers.Suspension of the effectiveness of an employment act (subsequent protection)if the whistleblower believes that an employment act has been performed against him in connection with the report with which he or she does not agree, he/she may, within 15 days from the day on which he/she became aware of the employment act, request the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers to suspend the effectiveness of this employment act,if the request for suspension of the effectiveness of an employment act has been delivered within the above-mentioned period of 15 days and the Ministry fails to prove within a reasonable period specified by the Office that the employment act has no causal connection with the notification, the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers will issue a certificate of suspension of the effectiveness of the employment act and deliver it to the Ministry and the whistleblower,The suspension of the effectiveness of an employment act begins on the day of delivery of the confirmation to the whistleblower and ends 30 days after the delivery of the confirmation to the whistleblower. Upon delivery of an application for an urgent measure to the court during this period, the duration of the suspension of the effectiveness of an employment act is extended until the court's decision on the application becomes enforceable.