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#LuxLeaks: Antoine Deltour fully exonerated

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Today (15 May) the Luxembourg Court of Appeal recognized that Antoine Deltour (pictured) who revealed that PwC tax rulings, the so-called LuxLeaks is a 'whistleblower' within the meaning of the European Court of Human Rights. Deltour is therefore fully acquitted on all charges concerning the copying and use of the documents; his fine and suspended prison sentence from an earlier court decision have been dropped, writes Catherine Feore.
The second appeal trial found that while the copying  of documents was a breach of the law, it decided to withhold the sentence.Today's ruling is reassuring for all whistle-blowers who witness ethically reprehensible practices and decide to report them. Antoine Deltour has expressed his “immense gratitude to the many people and organizations who supported [him] in this ordeal and without whom [he] would not have been able to lead this fight. While [he has] been fortunate enough to have broad support, many less visible whistleblowers experience great difficulties.”
Antoine Deltour also wished “a happy outcome for the two co-defendants in the LuxLeaks case, Édouard Perrin and Raphaël Halet, whose judicial journey is not over”.
The revelations were clearly in the public interest, subsequent actions by the European Commission found that the tax rulings did amount to illegal state aid and tax evasion.
Deltour's campaign said that a more protective legal framework is therefore essential and welcomed the draft European directive for the protection of whistleblowers as an encouraging sign.

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