One necessary task for combating corruption, which I have discussed before, is supervision by the people. In order for there to be supervision by the people and for them to make reports, it is necessary to build the legal infrastructure for this in the Judiciary. In other words, you should make it clear where these reports will go, how they will be examined, how you will verify and follow them up, and how you will ensure the safety of the whistleblowers. This is an important issue. The material and spiritual safety of those who give counsel for doing good and preventing evil – including the whistleblowers who inform you of the existence of corruption in such and such an area, dealing or office – should be protected, and their security should not be jeopardized.
Sometimes, it may happen that an enthusiastic, religious youth delivers a report to you due to his sense of responsibility, but since he is not a legal expert, he makes a mistake by mentioning a name that should not have been mentioned in that report. People may make such a mistake. Then, the law-breaker who knows about legal procedures takes advantage of this small mistake made by this religious youth and conceals his own corruption behind this mistake. Consequently, this youth will be condemned and he will go free! These things should be taken into account.
This requires the existence of a legal infrastructure inside the Judiciary to ensure the safety of people who make reports and to verify their claims. However, this should not be used as an opportunity for slandering others and leveling false accusations. For example, as soon as some people see that there is an organization which accepts and listens to people’s reports, they might immediately make accusations against someone with whom they have some small conflict. This should be anticipated and considered so as to prevent these things. After all, those who give counsel to do good and to prevent evil should feel encouraged that the Judiciary will support and defend them.
