Contact for Whistleblowers
Whistleblowing and reporting channels
In accordance with the EU Whistleblower Directive and the Whistleblower Protection Act, companies from a certain size are required, among other things, to establish effective, confidential and secure reporting channels for those who inform about legal breaches and to effectively protect them.
Reports of material violations of general laws that help us to clarify and, if necessary, rectify a grievance or a violation of law can be submitted via our reporting office.
Contact for Whistleblowers at Büsing Müffelmann & Theye
The internal reporting office is responsible for receiving and processing incoming reports. Lawyers from Büsing Müffelmann & Theye entrusted with the tasks are trained to communicate with whistleblowers and to conduct any investigations. They examine the relevance of the report and the follow-up measures that can be taken. They ensure strict confidentiality, especially if the report is not anonymous. They are independent and impartial in their decision-making.
Scope
We take every violation seriously. Grave breaches of rules in our law firm's business context occur, in particular, when facts concern the following matters:
- economic, corruption, tax crimes,
- money laundering and terrorist financing offenses,
- violations of data protection law,
- other legal breaches in connection with a contractual relationship with Büsing Müffelmann & Theye, in particular employment-related discrimination.
Please note that if you are engaged to work for Büsing Müffelmann & Theye, you are bound by applicable law and/or by the undertaking you have signed with us to maintain absolute secrecy with respect to client-related matters. If such matters are subject to a report, the protection for whistleblowers provided by law does not apply. We draw your attention to the fact that you may be liable to prosecution under Sections 203 and 204 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) if you disclose such information to unauthorized third parties.
Course of procedure
You will be notified within seven days of receipt of your report - unless you have submitted your report in a personal conversation (by telephone or on site).
In order to gain a better understanding of the aspects of a matter reported to us and the findings to be drawn from them, it may be necessary to consult with you or to review additional documents.
Any information received will be processed within a period of time appropriate to the facts of the particular case. In principle, you should receive feedback on the results and possible follow-up measures within three months. For particularly complex issues, it is possible that any follow-up measures may not have been completed by this time.
If your concern is not sufficiently related to Büsing Müffelmann & Theye, we can assist you in addressing your concern to the correct department.
Protection against reprisals and discrimination
Our law firm guarantees whistleblowers comprehensive protection against reprisals of any kind. If, despite all preventive measures, discrimination should occur contrary to expectations, we will pursue it. Concurrently, we protect those affected by a report if they are wrongly suspected of wrongdoing. This applies especially to cases where the whistleblower has recklessly or knowingly made an untrue or false report.
Confidentiality
The reporting office treats all information provided and documents submitted confidentially, irrespective of the reporting channel used. When investigating the facts, great attention is paid to ensuring that no inferences can be drawn as to the identity of the person provided the information. The identity will only be disclosed to third parties with prior consent. This does not apply if we are legally obliged to disclose the identity to a state authority. The reporting office will inform you of this in due time.
The various reporting channels
The following reporting channels and communication options are provided for the transmission of reports:
- Online portal (anonymous or not anonymous)
- Telephone (anonymous or not anonymous)
- E-mail (not anonymous)
- personally on site - appointment by arrangement (not anonymous)
Online portal:
Whistle Report (Link to the online portal)
QR code for Whistle Report:
Anonymous telephone report:
from Germany: +49 800 3800 999
from other countries: +49 69 99998839
(Anonymous telephone reports can be submitted via the above-mentioned online portal on the following days at the following times: Mon. - Fri., 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Further contact details:
Lukas von Gierke (Büsing Müffelmann & Theye, Frankfurt office)
Tel.:+49 69 17 23 24-0
vongierke@bmt.eu
Christine Knote (Büsing Müffelmann & Theye, Berlin office)
Tel.:+49 30 88 03 04-0
knote@bmt.eu
