SPOC (Single Point of Contact) for Corruption and Abuse of Authority

The Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bundesamt zur Korruptionsprävention und Korruptionsbekämpfung – BAK) is an institution of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior with the following duties and powers:

  • Preventing and combating corruption
  • Security police and criminal police cooperation with foreign and international anti-corruption institutions

Federal employees can report suspicious circumstances concerning the criminal offences mentioned on this site under "SCOPE" or "Tasks" directly to the BAK without going through official channels. Please feel free to use the reporting form below.

You can report to the BAK by

  • post
  • fax
  • email
  • or telephone.

Of course, you can report to the BAK anonymously. However, we would like to ask you to provide one contact option, as in many cases more detailed information is necessary to conduct investigations and you could then answer follow-up questions that may have come up. It would be a pity if we were unable to initiate an investigation because we lacked some detailed information.

According to the relevant criminal law and security police regulations, it may in some cases be necessary to disclose the source of the allegation, even if it was reported anonymously.

Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Austria
Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK)
Herrengasse 7
1010 Vienna
Austria
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Corruption and Abuse of Authority
SPOC telephone: +43 1 53 126-906800
Fax: +43 1 53 126-108583
Email: BMI-III-BAK-SPOC@bak.gv.at
http://www.bak.gv.at/


Reporting channels under the Whistleblower Protection Act

The Whistleblower Protection Act (HinweisgeberInnenschutzgesetz – HSchG ) was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette on 24 February 2023.

On the basis of the HSchG, an internal and an external whistleblower channel pursuant to Sections 12 and 15 HSchG have been set up at the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bundesamt zur Korruptionsprävention und Korruptionsbekämpfung – BAK), which has been accepting information from whistleblowers since 25 August 2023, the end of the transition and implementation phase provided for in Section 28 HSchG.

A protected person under the Whistleblower Protection Act (HSchG) may be anyone who learns of certain violations in the course of their professional activity. This includes not only employees, but also, for example, applicants, freelancers and suppliers.

The Whistleblower Protection Act provides for the following areas relating to which you can report to the BAK:

  • Public procurement
  • Product safety and compliance
  • Transport safety
  • Protection of the environment
  • Radiation protection and nuclear safety
  • Food and feed safety
  • Animal health and welfare
  • Public health
  • Consumer protection
  • Protection of privacy and personal data
  • Security of network and information systems
  • Prevention and punishment of criminal offences under Sections 302 to 309 Austrian Penal Code (Strafgesetzbuch – StGB) (for example, abuse of authority, bribery and corruptibility)
  • Breaches affecting the financial interests of the European Union

In order to protect whistleblowers, reporting platforms have been set up externally for the private and public sectors as well as internally for the Ministry of the Interior, which guarantee anonymous communication with Whistleblower Contact staff at the BAK. In addition, it is possible to report verbally.

Reporting platform for the private and public sectors: www.bkms-system.net/BAK

Employees of the Ministry of the Interior (Bundesministerium für Inneres – BMI) can find the relevant information and the link to the internal reporting platform on the BMI intranet under "Allgemeine Seiten des Hauses" – General in-house pages.

CAUTION: This system is not suitable for reporting emergencies. In case of acute danger, please contact the general emergency services!

Please note that messages can only be processed during the BAK's usual office hours.

Contact:
Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK)
Whistleblower Contact
Herrengasse 7
1010 Wien
Telephone: +43 1 53 126-906899

Information can be submitted by telephone on weekdays from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 13:00.

Important note on anonymity: Please note that your data may be disclosed in certain cases regulated by law. In particular, if there is an initial suspicion under criminal law pursuant to Section 1 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Strafprozessordnung 1975 – StPO), the provisions of the StPO apply.

Important note for federal employees: Please read the information in Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) item 8 on the topics of official secrecy, confidentiality and secrecy, or classified information carefully before using a reporting channel.

Further information on the use of the reporting platforms as well as on the provisions listed in Section 10 (2) Whistleblower Protection Act (HSchG), in particular on the protection of whistleblowers, the procedure for handling reported information, data protection as well as on the documentation, recording and storage of reported information can be found in the FAQs.