Whistleblower-ordning

Whistleblowerpolitik

1. Inledning og formål

  1. Denne whistleblowerpolitik beskriver formålet med, at GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S og GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S (herefter benævnt “GlobalConnect“) har en whistleblowerordning, hvordan whistleblowerordningen fungerer, hvem der kan benytte whistleblowerordningen, og hvad der må indberettes via whistleblowerordningen.
  2. Whistleblowerordningen omfatter følgende selskaber:

    • GlobalConnect A/S

    • Netteam Technology A/S

    • GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S

  3. Whistleblowerordningen har til formål at sikre, at en whistleblower, som defineret i denne whistleblowerpolitik, hurtigt og fortroligt via en særlig, uafhængig og selvstændig kanal kan indberette overtrædelser eller potentielle overtrædelser omfattet af GlobalConnects whistleblowerordning, med henblik på, at en uafhængig og selvstændig whistleblowerenhed vurderer, hvilke tiltag der er behov for.
  4. GlobalConnect A/S er i medfør af § 9 i lov om beskyttelse af whistleblowere (herefter benævnt “whistleblowerloven“) forpligtet til at etablere en whistleblowerordning med virkning fra den 17.
    december 2021 (herefter benævnt “den Lovpligtige Ordning“), mens det er besluttet at inkludere Netteam Technology A/S og GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S i whistleblowerordningen på et frivilligt grundlag (herefter benævnt “den Frivillige Ordning“).
  5. Der gælder forskellige regler afhængig af, om en indberetning er omfattet af den Lovpligtige Ordning eller den Frivillige Ordning, og det er derfor vigtigt at læse denne whistleblowerpolitik grundigt, før der indberettes.
  6. En indberetning, der kun vedrører GlobalConnect A/S, er omfattet af den Lovpligtige Ordning, mens en indberetning, der kun vedrører Netteam Technology A/S og/eller GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S, er omfattet af den Frivillige Ordning. Såfremt en indberetning vedrører et selskab i både den Lovpligtige Ordning og den Frivillige Ordning, hører indberetningen under den Lovpligtige Ordning.
  7. Whistleblowerpolitikkens punkt 2-8 og 10-11 finder anvendelse i forhold til både den Lovpligtige Ordning og den Frivillige Ordning, mens punkt 9.2 kun finder anvendelse på indberetninger under den Lovpligtige Ordning. Punkt 9.3 finder kun anvendelse på den Frivillige Ordning.
  8. I det følgende benævnes Den Lovpligtige Ordning og den Frivillige Ordning samlet som “Ordningen“.

 

2. Hvem må benytte Ordningen?

  1. Ordningen må benyttes af personer, der foretager en indberetning af oplysninger om overtrædelser, som personen har skaffet sig adgang til i forbindelse med vedkommendes arbejdsrelaterede aktiviteter, og som tilhører følgende personkreds (herefter benævnt “whistleblower“):
    1. Arbejdstagere.
    2. Selvstændigt erhvervsdrivende.
    3. Aktionærer og medlemmer af direktionen, bestyrelsen, tilsynsrådet eller det tilsvarende ledelsesorgan i en virksomhed.
    4. Frivillige.
    5. Lønnede eller ulønnede praktikanter.
    6. Personer, som arbejder under tilsyn og ledelse af kontrahenter, underleverandører og leverandører.
    7. Personer, der foretager indberetning eller offentliggørelse af oplysninger, som vedkommende har skaffet sig adgang til i et arbejdsmæssigt forhold, som siden er ophørt.
    8. Personer, hvis arbejdsmæssige forhold endnu ikke er påbegyndt, der indberetter oplysninger om overtrædelser, som vedkommende har skaffet sig adgang til i løbet af ansættelsesprocessen eller andre før kontraktuelle forhandlinger.
  2. Personer, som omfattes af punkt 9.2.4, kan også indberette under Ordningen. (eksempelvis en formidler, der bistår whistlebloweren med indberetningsprocessen i en arbejdsrelateret sammenhæng).
  3. Personer, der ikke er omfattet af personkredsen som nævnt i punkt 2.1 eller 9.2.4, kan ikke indberette via Ordningen, men er henvist til at indberette via de sædvanlige kommunikationsveje. Hvis betingelserne i øvrigt er opfyldt, kan der indberettes via Datatilsynets eksterne whistleblowerordning, som beskrevet i punkt 10.

 

3. Hvad må indberettes via Ordningen?

  1. Ordningen omfatter indberetninger, som vedrører alvorlige lovovertrædelser eller øvrige alvorlige forhold (se punkt 3.4 (i)) samt overtrædelser af EU-retten, der er omfattet af anvendelsesområdet for
    whistleblowerdirektivet (se punkt 3.4 (ii)).
  2. Ved “overtrædelser” forstås handlinger eller undladelser, der
    1. er ulovlige, eller udgør en alvorlig overtrædelse eller et i øvrigt alvorligt forhold, som omfattet af punkt 3.4, eller
    2. gør det muligt at opnå omgåelse af formålet med de regler, som henhører under punkt 3.4.
  3. Der kan indberettes om enhver oplysning, herunder rimelig mistanke, om faktiske eller potentielle overtrædelser eller alvorlige forhold, der er omfattet af punkt 3.4, og som har fundet sted eller med stor sandsynlighed vil finde sted i GlobalConnect og om forsøg på at skjule sådanne overtrædelser.
  4. Indberetningen skal angå overtrædelser eller potentielle overtrædelser omfattet af whistleblowerloven defineret som handlinger eller undladelser, der
    1. udgør en alvorlig lovovertrædelse eller et i øvrigt alvorligt forhold, såsom:
      • Overtrædelse af eventuel tavshedspligt
      • Misbrug af økonomiske midler
      • Tyveri
      • Svig
      • Underslæb
      • Bedrageri
      • Bestikkelse
      • Brud på arbejdssikkerheden
      • Enhver form for sexchikane
      • Grov chikane, f.eks. mobning, vold og chikane på grund af race, politisk eller religiøst tilhørsforhold.
    2. er ulovlige i henhold til EU-retten inden for en række specifikke områder, herunder f.eks.:
      • Offentligt udbud
      • Hvidvask
      • Produktsikkerhed- og overensstemmelse
      • Transportsikkerhed
      • Fødevare- og fodersikkerhed
      • Dyresundhed og -velfærd
      • Miljøbeskyttelse
      • Folkesundhed
      • Forbrugerbeskyttelse
      • Beskyttelse af privatlivets fred og personoplysninger
      • Netværks- og informationssystemers sikkerhed

      Der henvises i den forbindelse til denne liste, som indeholder en oplistning af lovgivning omfattet af Ordningen.

  5. Ordningen må kun benyttes til at indberette overtrædelser eller potentielle overtrædelser af den i punkt 3.4 nævnte regulering, der har fundet sted eller med stor sandsynlighed vil finde sted i GlobalConnect organisation, herunder af eksempelvis arbejdstagere, direktionen eller medlemmer af bestyrelsen i GlobalConnect. Med angivelsen af, at der kan ske indberetning om forhold begået af GlobalConnect, bemærkes det, at der kan indberettes om førnævnte forhold, selv om forholdet ikke kan henføres til en enkelt person, men eksempelvis skyldes en grundlæggende systemfejl i GlobalConnect.
  6. Forseelser, som ikke er omfattet af Ordningen, skal indberettes via de sædvanlige kommunikationsveje. Hvis betingelserne i øvrigt er opfyldt, kan der indberettes via Datatilsynets eksterne whistleblowerordning, som beskrevet i punkt 10.

 

4. Indberetningens indhold

  1. Af hensyn til den videre undersøgelse af indberetningen, herunder for at kunne afdække forseelsen, er det vigtigt, at whistlebloweren belyser forseelsen bedst muligt. Det er således ikke muligt at foretage en nærmere undersøgelse af en indberetning, hvis indberetningen er uspecificeret, eller hvis den alene indeholder meget brede beskyldninger uden nærmere præcisering.
  2. Det er derfor vigtigt, at whistlebloweren – så vidt muligt – oplyser følgende:
    • en beskrivelse af forholdet,
    • hvem der er involveret,
    • om andre er bekendt med mistanken om forholdet,
    • om ledelsen er bekendt med forholdet,
    • om der findes dokumenter, der støtter forholdet,
    • om og hvor der kan findes yderligere information om forholdet,
    • hvor lang tid forholdet har stået på, og
    • om whistlebloweren er bekendt med forsøg på at skjule forseelsen
  3. Åbenlyst grundløse indberetninger vil ikke undergå nærmere undersøgelse.

 

5. Hvordan kan der indberettes og Hvem skal der indberettes til?

  1. GlobalConnect har udpeget en whistleblowerenhed, der
    1. modtager indberetninger og har kontakt med whistlebloweren,
    2. følger op på indberetninger samt
    3. giver feedback til whistlebloweren.
  2. Whistleblowerenheden, der varetager opgaverne i punkt 5.1, består dels af to advokater fra Plesner advokatpartnerselskab (herefter “Plesner“), dels af en upartisk kreds af personer i GlobalConnect.
  3. Skriftlig indberetning sker via Plesners whistleblowerordning, der findes på GlobalConnects hjemmeside her.
  4. Skriftlige indberetninger modtages af to advokater hos Plesner. Plesner foretager en habilitetsvurdering af hvem i whistleblowerenheden, der kan behandle indberetningen og videresender indberetningen til de pågældende personer (herefter “Sagsbehandlere“) hos GlobalConnect. Forinden indberetningen videresendes, vurderer Plesner, om indberetningen falder inden for Ordningens anvendelsesområde.
  5. Det er kun muligt at foretage skriftlig indberetning under Ordningen Whistleblowerenheden behandler alle skriftlige indberetninger fortroligt.
  6. Sagsbehandlerne, der er udpeget til at modtage og følge op på indberetninger, har tavshedspligt med hensyn til oplysninger, der indgår i indberetningen.

 

6. Anonymitet

  1. GlobalConnect opfordrer til, at whistlebloweren oplyser sit navn i forbindelse med en indberetning, således at Sagsbehandlerne har mulighed for at stille afklarende spørgsmål samt efterfølgende at kunne orientere om undersøgelsens videre forløb. Dog er det muligt at kommunikere anonymt mellem Plesner og en whistleblower, der vælger at være anonym (se punkt 6.4 og 6.5).
  2. Såfremt whistlebloweren vælger at foretage en anonym indberetning, anbefales det af hensyn til at sikre fuld anonymitet, at whistlebloweren anvender en privat pc eller eksempelvis en pc, der er placeret på et offentligt bibliotek.
  3. Plesner stiller et kommunikationsmodul til rådighed, hvor det er muligt for whistlebloweren at kommunikere med Plesner med henblik på at give supplerende oplysninger om det indberettede forhold, som Plesner videregiver til Sagsbehandlerne.
  4. Hvis whistlebloweren vælger at indberette anonymt, er det muligt for whistlebloweren at kommunikere anonymt med Plesner via kommunikationsmodulet. Whistlebloweren kan således give supplerende oplysninger til Plesner via kommunikationsmodulet og forblive anonym. I forbindelse med indberetningen genereres der en engangskode, som af hensyn til at sikre anonymiteten ikke kan genskabes. Det er derfor vigtigt, at whistlebloweren gemmer koden og husker at logge på kommunikationsmodulet for at kommunikere med whistleblowerenheden.
  5. Kommunikationsmodulet tilgås via ovennævnte link til Ordningen (se punkt 5.3), hvor der logges på kommunikationsmodulet. Såfremt whistlebloweren har valgt at være anonym, er det vigtigt, at whistlebloweren løbende tilgår kommunikationsmodulet for at kontrollere, om Plesner har stillet spørgsmål. Er whistlebloweren anonym, har Plesner ikke mulighed for at komme i kontakt med whistlebloweren på anden måde, herunder gøre whistlebloweren opmærksom på, at der er sendt supplerende spørgsmål o. lign.

 

7. Orientering til whistlebloweren

  1. Whistlebloweren modtager:
    • en bekræftelse på modtagelsen af indberetningen inden for tre dage efter modtagelsen heraf, og
    • feedback hurtigst muligt og som udgangspunkt inden for tre måneder fra bekræftelsen af modtagelsen af indberetningen.
  2. Ved feedback forstås en meddelelse om tiltag truffet af GlobalConnect til at vurdere rigtigheden af påstande i indberetningen, og hvor det er relevant, til at imødegå den indberettede overtrædelse. Den af whistleblowerenheden meddelte feedback skal til enhver tid iagttage de persondataretlige regler, hvilket kan medføre begrænsninger i forhold til indholdet af den feedback, som whistlebloweren modtager.
  3. Der kan efter omstændighederne være behov for at forlænge tidsrammen for feedback, hvor det er nødvendigt af hensyn til sagens konkrete omstændigheder, navnlig indberetningens art og kompleksitet, hvilket kan kræve en langvarig undersøgelse. Såfremt dette er tilfældet, underrettes whistlebloweren herom.

 

8. Orientering til og beskyttelse af den berørte person

  1. Når en foreløbig undersøgelse har fundet sted, og alle relevante beviser er sikret, underrettes den berørte person, dvs. personen der er indberettet om under Ordningen, om bl.a.:
    • identiteten på den/de Sagsbehandler(e), som er ansvarlig for undersøgelsen af indberetningen, og
    • de forhold, indberetningen vedrører.
  2. Såfremt indberetningen er sket under den Lovpligtige Ordning, har den berørte person i henhold til whistleblowerloven ret til beskyttelse af sin identitet under sagsbehandlingen og ret til et effektivt forsvar.
  3. GlobalConnect iagttager i øvrigt den berørte persons rettigheder i henhold til persondataforordningen. Der henvises til GlobalConnects privatlivspolitik for whistleblowerordningen her for hvert af selskaberne (GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S og GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S), hvor der kan læses nærmere om behandlingen af personoplysninger og de registreredes rettigheder.
  4. Den berørte person vil herudover under visse omstændigheder have ret til indsigt i oplysninger om whistleblowerens identitet, hvis dette er nødvendigt for at den berørte person kan udøve retten til et effektivt forsvar (se punkt 9.2.6)

 

9. Whistleblowerens beskyttelse

  1. Generelt
    1. Der gælder forskellige regler afhængig af, om whistlebloweren indberetter under den Lovpligtige Ordning eller den Frivillige Ordning.
  2. Den Lovpligtige Ordning
    1. Whistlebloweren er i medfør af whistleblowerloven beskyttet mod repressalier, hvis whistlebloweren har indberettet under den Lovpligtige Ordning. Beskyttelsen gælder kun, hvis følgende betingelser alle er opfyldte:
      • Personen, der foretager indberetningen, opfylder betingelserne for at være en whistleblower (se punkt 2).
      • Whistlebloweren havde rimelig grund til at antage, at de indberettede oplysninger var korrekte på tidspunktet for indberetningen.
      • De indberettede oplysningerne henhører under whistleblowerlovens anvendelsesområde (se punkt 3.4).
    2. Ved “repressalier” forstås en ufordelagtig behandling eller ufordelagtig følge som reaktion på en indberetning. Det kan eksempelvis være suspension, afskedigelse, degradering, m.v.
    3. Såfremt whistlebloweren foretager indberetning i ond tro og velvidende, at de indberettede oplysninger ikke er korrekte, er whistlebloweren ikke beskyttet mod repressalier.
      Whistlebloweren kan efter omstændighederne straffes med bøde, hvis der forsætligt indberettes falske anmeldelser. Er whistlebloweren ansat i GlobalConnect, kan det tillige få ansættelsesretlige
      konsekvenser, herunder resultere i, at whistlebloweren bliver bortvist.
    4. Beskyttelsen i dette punkt 9.2 omfatter, udover den i 2.1 nævnte personkreds, også følgende personer:
      1. Formidlere
      2. Tredjeparter, der har forbindelse til whistlebloweren, og som risikerer at blive udsat for repressalier i en arbejdsrelateret sammenhæng (eksempelvis en kollega)
      3. Virksomheder og myndigheder, som whistlebloweren ejer eller arbejder for eller på anden måde er forbundet med i en arbejdsrelateret sammenhæng (eksempelvis en virksomhed, som whistlebloweren ejer).
    5. Oplysninger om whistleblowerens identitet eller andre oplysninger, ud fra hvilke whistleblowerens identitet direkte eller indirekte kan udledes videregives kun til andre end whistleblowerenheden efter forudgående indhentelse af whistleblowerens udtrykkelige samtykke.
    6. Oplysninger om whistleblowerens identitet kan dog uden samtykke videregives til andre offentlige myndigheder, hvis videregivelse sker for at imødegå overtrædelser (eksempelvis en kriminel handling, der ikke har fundet sted endnu), eller med henblik på at sikre berørte personers ret til forsvar. Hvis whistleblowerens identitet videregives uden samtykke, vil whistlebloweren blive orienteret herom, herunder modtage en begrundelse for videregivelsen, medmindre underretningen vil bringe relaterede undersøgelser eller retssager i fare. Om videregivelse af whistleblowerens identitet henvises i øvrigt til punkt 8.4.
    7. Whistleblowerens identitet kan tillige videregives ved en eventuel retssag vedrørende det indberettede forhold.
    8. Såfremt whistlebloweren forsætlig har afsløret sin identitet i forbindelse med offentliggørelse af et indberettet forhold, gælder de særlige hensyn til beskyttelse af whistleblowerens identitet ikke. Oplysninger om whistleblowerens identitet vil i sådanne tilfælde kunne videregives i overensstemmelse med reglerne i persondataforordningen.
    9. Andre oplysninger fra indberetningen og dermed oplysninger, som ikke afslører whistleblowerens identitet, videregives kun til personer uden for whistleblowerenheden som led i en opfølgning på en indberetning eller for at imødegå en potentiel overtrædelse af de forhold, der fremgår af punkt 3.4.
    10. Hvis whistleblowerenheden ved behandlingen af indberetningen indsamler yderligere oplysninger, er disse oplysninger ikke omfattet whistleblowerloven, herunder whistleblowerlovens særlige tavshedspligt. Disse oplysninger vil således være omfattet af de almindelige regler om den registreredes indsigtsret efter databeskyttelseslovens § 22. Tavshedspligten omfatter således kun de oplysninger, der indgår i indberetningerne.
  3. Den Frivillige Ordning
    1. En whistleblower, der i god tro indberetter under den Frivillige Ordning, vil ikke blive udsat for repressalier (se herom punkt 9.2.2). Omvendt vil en whistleblower, der foretager indberetning i ond tro og velvidende, at de indberettede oplysninger ikke erkorrekte, ikke være beskyttet mod repressalier m.v.
    2. Det er imidlertid vigtigt at bemærke, at whistlebloweren, der i god tro indberetter under den Frivillige Ordning, ikke omfattes af whistleblowerloven og den heri lovfæstede beskyttelse.
    3. Identiteten på den person, der foretager indberetningen, vil som udgangspunkt ikke blive videregivet til den person, som indberetningen vedrører. Det bemærkes dog i den forbindelse, at den registrerede efter persondataforordningens artikel 15 som udgangspunkt ret til indsigt, medmindre der i medfør af databeskyttelseslovens § 22 kan undtages fra den registreredes
      anmodning herom. Whistleblowerens identitet vil endvidere blive oplyst, såfremt det viser sig, at der er indgivet en bevidst falsk indberetning, eller såfremt GlobalConnect har en pligt til at offentliggøre oplysningerne.
    4. Whistleblowerens identitet kan tillige videregives til brug for en eventuel retssag vedrørende det indberettede forhold.

 

10. Eksterne whistleblowerordninger

  1. En whistleblower, der påtænker at foretage indberetning under den Lovpligtige Ordning, kan i stedet vælge at indberette via Datatilsynets eksterne whistleblowerordning, eksempelvis hvis whistlebloweren er bekymret for repressalier. Datatilsynets eksterne whistleblowerordning kan tilgås via https://whistleblower.dk/indberet.
  2. Det skal understreges, at whistlebloweren frit kan vælge mellem at indberette under den Ordningen eller Datatilsynets eksterne whistleblowerordning.

 

11. Datasikkerhed og dataopbevaring

  1. GlobalConnect registrerer alle indberetninger, der modtages via Ordningen. Registreringen sker i overensstemmelse med whistleblowerlovens tavshedspligt. GlobalConnect opbevarer en indberetning så længe, det er nødvendigt og forholdsmæssigt for at overholde de krav, der følger af dansk lovgivning.
  2. GlobalConnect og Plesner behandler alle oplysninger, som indberettes via Ordningen, herunder oplysninger om personer, der indberettes via Ordningen, i overensstemmelse med den til enhver tid gældende lovgivning.
  3. Alle indberetninger vil blive opbevaret forsvarligt, og det vil kun være muligt for relevante personer i whistleblowerenheden at tilgå oplysningerne.
  4. En indberetning, der falder uden for Ordningen, vil blive videresendt til GlobalConnects HR-afdeling og afsluttet i Ordningen.
  5. Indberetninger slettes som udgangspunkt i Ordningen 45 dage efter, at GlobalConnect har afsluttet behandlingen, medmindre GlobalConnect har en legitim grund til fortsat opbevaring, f.eks. hvis det er påkrævet efter anden lovgivning, eller hvis der er grund til at tro, at indberetningen kan bestyrkes af senere indkomne indberetninger om samme forhold.
  6. Hvis der foretages anmeldelse til politiet eller en anden myndighed, afsluttes indberetningen i Ordningen straks efter afslutning af sagen hos de pågældende myndigheder.
  7. Hvis der på baggrund af de indsamlede oplysninger gennemføres en disciplinær sanktion over for den indberettede person, eller der i øvrigt foreligger grunde til, at det er sagligt og nødvendigt fortsat at opbevare oplysninger om den indberettede person, opbevares oplysningerne, hvor der er tale om en ansat, i den ansattes personalemappe.
  8. Oplysningerne opbevares i øvrigt i henhold til slettepolitikken for hvert af selskaberne (GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S og GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S).

 

12. Spørgsmål

  1. Hvis du har spørgsmål vedrørende denne whistleblowerpolitik, er du velkommen til at kontakte GlobalConnects HR afdeling camkri@globalconnect.dk,  Internal Audit kamwen@globalconnect.dk eller Legal & Regulatory rassve@globalconnect.dk.

 

13. Opdateringer

  1. Denne whistleblowerpolitik er senest opdateret: 31. December 2021

Whistleblower policy

1. Introduction and Purpose

  1. This Whistleblower Policy describes the purpose of GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S og GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S (hereinafter referred to as GlobalConnect having introduced a whistleblower arrangement, how it works, who can make use of the whistleblower arrangement, and what may be reported through the whistleblower arrangement.
         The whistleblower arrangement includes the following companies:

    • GlobalConnect A/S

    • Netteam Technology A/S

    • GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S

  2. The purpose of the whistleblower arrangement is to ensure that a Whistleblower, as defined in this Whistleblower Policy, can swiftly and confidentially, through a special, independent and autonomous channel, report violations or potential violations within the scope of the Danish Act on the Protection of Whistleblowers (hereinafter referred to as the Whistleblower Act, allowing an independent and autonomous whistleblower unit to assess which steps are required in this respect.
  3. Pursuant to Section 9 of the Whistleblower Act, GlobalConnect A/S is as of 17 December 2021 obliged to establish a whistleblower arrangement (hereinafter referred to as the Mandatory Arrangement, whereas it has been decided to include Netteam Technology A/S and GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S in the whistleblower arrangement on a voluntary basis (hereinafter referred to as the “Voluntary Arrangement”.
  4. Different rules apply depending on whether a report is subject to the Mandatory Arrangement or the Voluntary Arrangement, and therefore it is important to read this Whistleblower Policy carefully before filing a report.
  5. A report only concerning GlobalConnect A/S is subject to the Mandatory Arrangement, whereas a report only concerning Netteam Technology A/S or GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S is subject to the Voluntary Arrangement. If a report concerns a company within both the Mandatory and the Voluntary Arrangement, the report belongs to the Mandatory Arrangement.
  6. Sections 2-8 and 10-11 of the Whistleblower Policy are applicable to both the Mandatory and the Voluntary Arrangement, whereas section 9.2 only applies to reports under the Mandatory Arrangement. Section 9.3 only applies to the Voluntary Arrangement.
  7. Hereinafter the Mandatory Arrangement and the Voluntary Arrangement are collectively referred to as the “Arrangement“.

 

2. Who can use the Arrangement?

  1. The Arrangement can be used by persons who report information on violations to which the person in question has gained access in connection with his or her work-related activities, and who belong to the following categories of persons (hereinafter referred to as Whistleblower:
    1. Employees
    2. Self-employed persons
    3. Shareholders and members of the executive board, board of directors, or similar governing body in an undertaking.
    4. Volunteers
    5. Paid or unpaid trainees
    6. Persons working under the supervision and management of contracting parties, subcontractors, and suppliers.
    7. Persons who are reporting or publishing information to which they have gained access in a work-related relationship that has ceased since then.
    8. Persons in work-related relationships that have not yet commenced, who report information on violations to which they have gained access during the course of the recruitment process or other pre-contractual negotiations.
  2. Persons listed under section 9.2.4 can also file reports under the Arrangement (for instance an intermediary assisting the Whistleblower with the reporting process in a work-related context).
  3. Persons not included in the categories of persons stated in sections 2.1 or 9.2.4 cannot file reports under the Arrangement but have to report through ordinary communication channels. If the conditions are otherwise fulfilled in this respect, reports can be filed through the external whistleblower system of the Danish Data Protection Agency, as described in section 10.

 

3. What may be reported through the Arrangement?

  1. The Arrangement is open for reports regarding serious offences or other serious matters (see section 3.4 (i)) as well as reports regarding violations of EU law within the scope of application of the Whistleblower Directive (see section 3.4 (ii)).
  2. “Violations” means acts or omissions that
    1. are illegal or constitute a serious offence or other serious matters comprised by section 3.4; or
    2. allow circumventions of the purpose of the rules under section 3.4.
  3. Any information may be reported, including reasonable suspicion about actual or potential violations or serious matters comprised by section 3.4 which have occurred or most probably will occur at GlobalConnect, as well as any attempts to cover up such violations.
  4. The report must concern violations or potential violations within the scope of the Whistleblower Act, defined as acts or omissions which:

    1. are serious offences or other serious matters, like for instance:

      • Violation of any duty of confidentiality
      • Abuse of financial means
      • Theft
      • Deceit
      • Embezzlement
      • Fraud
      • Bribery
      • Violation of industrial safety rules
      • Any form of sexual harassment
      • Severe harassment, e.g., bullying, violence, and harassment due to race, political or religious affiliation.
    2. are illegal pursuant to EU law within a number of specific areas, including for instance:
      • Public procurement
      • Money-laundering
      • Product safety and compliance
      • Transport safety
      • Food and feed safety
      • Animal health and welfare
      • Protection of the environment
      • Public health
      • Consumer protection
      • Protection of privacy and personal data
      • Security of network and information systems.

      In this connection, reference is made to this list containing information on the legislation that is covered by the Arrangement.

  5. The Arrangement may only be used for reporting violations or potential violations in relation to the issues described in section 3.4 that have occurred or most probably will occur in GlobalConnect‘s organisation, committed for instance by employees, executive board, or members of the board of directors of GlobalConnect. In connection with reports on incidents committed by GlobalConnect, please note that such incidents may be reported although the incident cannot be attributed to an individual person but may be due to a basic systemic failure at GlobalConnect.
  6. Offences that are not comprised by the Arrangement must be reported through ordinary communication channels. If the conditions are otherwise fulfilled in this respect, reports can be filed through the external whistleblower system of the Danish Data Protection Agency, as described in section 10.

 

4. Contents of the report

  1. To facilitate further investigation of the reported issue, and to be able to identify the offence, it is  important that the Whistleblower describes the offence in the best possible way. It is thus not possible to make any further investigations of a report if the report is not specified or if it only contains very general allegations without any further clarification.
  2. Therefore, it is important that the Whistleblower – to the utmost extent – provides the following information:

    • a description of the matter;
    • the person(s) involved;
    • whether others are aware of the suspicion about the matter;
    • whether the executive board knows about the matter;
    • whether documents exist that support the matter;
    • whether and where further information may be found about the matter;
    • for how long the matter has gone on; and
    • whether the Whistleblower knows about any attempts to hide the offence.
  3. Manifestly unfounded reports will not be investigated further.

 

5. How can a report be submitted and who is to receive the report?

  1. GlobalConnect has appointed a whistleblower unit that
    1. will receive the reports and be in contact with the Whistleblower;
    2. will follow-up on the reports; and
    3. give feedback to the Whistleblower.
  2. The whistleblower unit in charge of the tasks mentioned in section
    5.1 consists partly of two lawyers from Plesner Law Firm (hereinafter “Plesner”), and partly of an impartial group of persons at GlobalConnect.
  3. Written reports are submitted through Plesner’s Whistleblower Arrangement that can be found on GlobalConnect‘s website here.
  4. Written reports are received by two lawyers at Plesner Law Firm.
    Plesner will make a legal capacity assessment of the persons of the whistleblower unit who are able to process the report, after which the report will be forwarded to the relevant persons (hereinafter referred to as “Case Managers”) at GlobalConnect. Before forwarding the report, Plesner will assess whether the report falls within the scope of application of the Arrangement.
  5. It is only possible to submit written reports under the Arrangement.
  6. The whistleblower unit will treat all written reports as confidential.
  7. The Case Managers appointed to receive and follow up on the reports are subject to a duty of confidentiality regarding the information contained in the reports.

 

6. Anonymity

  1. GlobalConnect encourages the Whistleblower to state his or her name when submitting a report so that the Case Managers are able to ask clarifying questions and subsequently provide feedback on the further course of the investigation. However, anonymous communication between Plesner and a Whistleblower who chooses to be anonymous is possible (see section 6.4 and 6.5).
  2. If the Whistleblower chooses to submit an anonymous report, it is recommended – to ensure full anonymity – that the Whistleblower uses a private PC or, for instance, a PC located at a public library.
  3. Plesner will make a communication module available, allowing the Whistleblower to communicate with Plesner for the purpose of providing additional information about the reported issue, which Plesner will then pass on to the Case Managers.
  4. If the Whistleblower chooses to submit an anonymous report, it is possible for the Whistleblower to communicate with Plesner through the communication module. The Whistleblower can provide additional information to Plesner through the communication module and remain anonymous. In connection with the reporting, a one-off code is generated which, in order to safeguard the anonymity, cannot be re-created. Therefore, it is important that the Whistleblower keeps the code and remembers to log on the communication module to communicate with the whistleblower unit.
  5. The communication module can be accessed through the above-mentioned link under the Arrangement (see section 5.3) to log on the communication module. If the Whistleblower chooses to be anonymous, it is important that the Whistleblower regularly enters the communication module to check whether Plesner has asked any questions. If the Whistleblower is anonymous, Plesner is not able to come into contact with the Whistleblower in any other ways, for instance to inform the Whistleblower that additional questions etc. have been submitted.

 

7. Information to the Whistleblower

  1. The Whistleblower will receive:
    • an acknowledgement of receipt of the report within three (3) days of that receipt; and
    • feedback soonest possible and in principle within three (3) months from the acknowledgement of receipt of the report.
  2. “Feedback” means a notification about the measures taken by GlobalConnect to assess the correctness of the allegations made in the report and, where relevant, to counter the reported offence. The feedback provided by the whistleblower unit must, at any time, observe the rules under data protection law, which may entail limitations in relation to the contents of the feedback to the Whistleblower.
  3. Depending on the circumstances, an extension of the timeframe for the feedback may be required, where necessary due to the specific circumstances of the case, in particular the nature and complexity of the report, which may require a lengthy investigation. If this is the case, the Whistleblower must be notified in this respect.

 

8. Information to and protection of the person concerned

  1. After a preliminary investigation has taken place and all relevant evidence has been secured, the reported person will for instance be informed about:
    • the identity of the Case Manager(s) responsible for the investigation of the report; and
    • the issues of the report.
  2. Pursuant to the Whistleblower Act, the reported person is entitled to protection of his or her identity during the case management and has a right to effective defence.
  3. Otherwise, GlobalConnect observes the rights of the reported person under the General Data Protection Regulation. Reference is made to GlobalConnec‘s Privacy Policy for the Whistleblower Arrangement, which can be found at https://www.globalconnect.dk/whistleblower-policy, for each of the companies (GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S and GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S).The Privacy Policy contains further information on the processing of personal data and the rights of the data subject.
  4. Under certain circumstances, the reported person will also have the right of access to information about the Whistleblower’s identity where necessary for the reported person to exercise his or her right to an effective defence (see section 9.2.6).

 

9. Protection of the Whistleblower

  1. In General
    1. Different rules apply, depending on whether the Whistleblower is reporting under the Mandatory Arrangement or the Voluntary Arrangement.
  2. The Mandatory Arrangement
    1. Pursuant to the Whistleblower Act, Whistleblowers are protected against retaliation when submitting a report to the Arrangement.
      Such protection only applies if the following conditions are fulfilled:

      • The person submitting the report meets the conditions to be considered a whistleblower (see section 2).
      • The Whistleblower had reasonable grounds to believe that the reported information was correct at the time of reporting.
      • The reported information falls under the scope of application of the Whistleblower Act (see section 3.4).
    2. “Retaliation” means unfavourable treatment or unfavourable consequences as a reaction to a report. This may be suspension, dismissal, demotion, or equivalent measures.
    3. If the Whistleblower submits a report in bad faith and is fully aware of the fact that the reported information is not correct, the Whistleblower is protected against retaliation. Depending on the circumstances, the Whistleblower can be sanctioned with a fine if he or she has deliberately submitted false reports. If the Whistleblower is employed by GlobalConnect, it may also have employment-related consequences, entailing inter alia the summary dismissal of the Whistleblower.
    4. In addition to the group of persons mentioned in section 2.1, the protection described in this section 9.2 also applies to the following persons or entities:

      1. Intermediaries
      2. Third parties who are connected to the Whistleblower and who risk being subject to retaliation in a work-related context (e.g., a colleague).
      3. Undertakings and authorities which the Whistleblower owns or works for or is otherwise connected with in a work-related context (e.g., an undertaking owned by the Whistleblower).
    5. Information about the identity of the Whistleblower or any other information that directly or indirectly may reveal the Whistleblower’s identity will only be disclosed to other persons than the whistleblower unit after having obtained prior explicit consent from the Whistleblower.
    6. However, information on the Whistleblower’s identity may be revealed without consent to other public authorities where this is necessary for the prevention of offences (e.g., a criminal act that has not yet been committed), or with a view to safeguarding the rights of defence of the persons concerned. If the identity of the Whistleblower is disclosed without consent, the Whistleblower will be informed accordingly and be provided with the grounds for the disclosure, unless such information would jeopardize the related investigations or judicial proceedings. Concerning the disclosure of the Whistleblower’s identity, reference is also made to section 8.4.
    7. The identity of the Whistleblower may also be revealed in connection with legal proceedings regarding the reported matter.
    8. If the Whistleblower has deliberately revealed his or her identity in connection with a publication of the reported matter, the special considerations regarding the protection of the Whistleblower’s identity are not applicable. In such cases, information on the Whistleblower’s identity may be passed on pursuant to the rules under the General Data Protection Regulation.
    9. Other information from the report, i.e., information not revealing the Whistleblower’s identity, will only be disclosed to persons outside the whistleblower unit as part of a follow-up on the report or for the purpose of preventing a potential offence in relation to the issues described in section 3.4.
    10. If the whistleblower unit collects additional information in connection with the processing of the report, such information is not covered by the provisions of the Whistleblower Act, such as the special duty of confidentiality. Such information will thus be subject to the general rules on the reported person’s right of access pursuant to Section 22 of the Danish Data Protection Act.
      Therefore, the duty of confidentiality only pertains to the information contained in the reports.
  3. The Voluntary Arrangement
    1. A Whistleblower reporting in good faith under the Voluntary Arrangement will not be subject to retaliation (see further section 9.2.2). However, a Whistleblower who submits a report in bad faith, fully aware of the fact that the reported information is not correct, will not be protected against retaliation etc.
    2. However, it is important to note that the Whistleblower reporting in good faith under the Voluntary Arrangement will not be covered by the Danish Whistleblower Act and the mandatory protection afforded therein.
    3. In principle, the identity of the reporting person will not be disclosed to the person who is subject of the report. However, in this connection please note that pursuant to Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation, the data subject has a general right to access, unless – pursuant to Section 22 of the Danish Data Protection Act – an exemption can be made to the data subject’s request in this respect. Furthermore, the identity of the Whistleblower can be revealed if it turns out that a false report has been knowingly submitted or if GlobalConnect is under an obligation to publish the information.
    4. Also, the identity of the Whistleblower can be revealed in connection with any subsequent legal proceedings concerning the reported issue.

 

10. External whistleblower systems

  1. A Whistleblower who intends to submit a report under Arrangement may instead choose to file the report through the external whistleblower system of the Danish Data Protection Agency – for instance, if the Whistleblower fears retaliation. The external whistleblower system of the Danish Data Protection Agency can be reached through https://whistleblower.dk/indberet.
  2. It is emphasized that the Whistleblower is free to choose to submit a report through the Arrangement or through the external whistleblower system of the Danish Data Protection Agency.

 

11. Data Security and Data Storage

  1. GlobalConnect will register all reports received under the Arrangement. The registration takes place in accordance with the provisions of the Whistleblower Act. GlobalConnect will store a report as long as necessary and proportionate in order to comply with the requirements imposed by Danish law.
  2. GlobalConnect and Plesner will process all information reported through the Arrangement, including information on persons reported through the Arrangement, in accordance with applicable law in force at any time.
  3. All reports will be stored properly, and it will only be possible for relevant persons of the whistleblower unit to access the information. A report falling outside the scope of the Arrangement will be immediately forwarded to GlobalConnect’s HR department and closed in the Arrangement.
  4. In principle, reports will be deleted from the Arrangement 45 days after GlobalConnect has finalized the processing, unless GlobalConnect has legitimate reasons to continue the storage, e.g., if required by other legislation, or if there is reason to believe that the report may be corroborated by subsequent reports on the same issue. If the matter is reported to the police or another authority, the report will be closed in the Arrangement immediately after the case has been closed by the authorities in question.
  5. If – on basis of the collected data – a disciplinary sanction is implemented against the reported person, or if there are other grounds justifying and requiring the continued storage of the data on the person concerned, such data will be stored, where an employee is involved, in the employee’s personnel file.
  6. Otherwise, the information is stored in accordance with the deletion policy for each of the companies (GlobalConnect A/S, Netteam Technology A/S and GlobalConnect Invest DK A/S).

 

12. Questions

  1. If you have any questions regarding this Whistleblower Policy, you are welcome to contact GlobalConnect’s HR department (camkri@globalconnect.dk), Internal Audit kamwen@globalconnect.dk or Legal & Regulatory (rassve@globalconnect.dk).

 

13. Updating

  1. This Whistleblower Policy has been updated on or before 31 December 2021