Whistleblower

by Terry Morgan

CHAPTER 71

  Jan was heading home, walking as usual. It was six thirty and dark. As he arrived at the entrance to the apartment block his mobile rang. It was Katrine. Twenty minutes later they were in the corner of the tapas bar.

  "It's about that Sierra Leone bid, Jan. I think something's wrong."

  Jan was already prepared. "Not just wrong, Kat, it's a well organised stitch up."

  Katrine stared at him. "You know something?"

  "I know the company who lodged the first bid, Walton Associates. Walton were testing the whole bidding system for any signs of corruption. Did they find any? Sure, they did. You witnessed it this afternoon."

  "Jan, for God's sake, what's going on."

  "I told you a while back what I thought about the whole stinking system and that I'd be willing to whistle-blow. Well, the evidence is gathering. The whole system, Kat, is open to abuse and fraud if certain people with the know-how and authority are put in charge and there is a sophisticated, well organised and corrupt organisation behind it. How many people work there, Kat?"

  "Twenty five thousand?" It was clearly a guess.

  "Some say thirty five thousand, Kat. But if you look deeper and add in part-timers you'll find it's nearer forty five thousand. And then there are those who are, so called 'off the balance sheet". I reckon it's around fifty five thousand people. Do you think they all totally honest, Kat? How many have access to confidential data, log in and log out every day using passwords and how many think they are underpaid and couldn't care a fuck about the fact that it's taxpayers who pay their salaries and pensions. How many of those do you think might be tempted to take a small bribe or two if they knew how?" Jan waited for Kat's reaction.

  "Plenty I suppose," she said, looking down at her glass of wine.

  "And what might happen if, once hooked, they can't stop because they're threatened with repercussions if they say or do anything?"

  Katrine shook her head. Jan took a breath, tried to stay calm. "So what do you think happened today with that Sierra Leone bid?"

  "We received an email confirming some changes. Then......." she paused.

  "Then?"

  "Someone logged into the system and changed the bidder details."

  Jan was past caring. "It was me," he said.

  "You, Jan? What the hell.....?"

  "Evidence gathering, Kat. I've been working with Walton Associates." It was mostly true. That he had performed the act on a laptop whilst sitting on a wet seat in a street in Delft with instructions from an invisible Italian midget called Guido did not seem important at the moment.

  "Oh God. You Jan? You're abusing the system just to prove a point? I can't......How can......?"

  "Kat, listen. There is a hell of a lot going on that I could tell you, including that Eischmann is involved."

  "Eischmann himself?"

  "Surprised. Kat?"

  "No, I suppose not."

  "So do you want to help?"

  "I don't know. How far does it go? How widespread? How much is being lost? Are you sure? There are hundreds of questions."

  "Eischmann recruited me."

  "What do you mean, recruited?"

  "My interview, remember? You fixed it. I bullshitted too well and he was so impressed I got invited to join the party. It was what I wanted all along but now I'm up to my neck and want out, but there are things still to be done - the proof, the evidence. If there's not enough evidence, they'll deny it, ignore it, blame others, pass the buck, do anything that'll stop the truth coming out. We need to keep going a while longer."

  "We? Who's we."

  "You remember a scandal three or four years ago when a British politician tried to raise the matter?"

  "Jim Smith? He accused Eischmann. "

  "You see?" Jan said, "You remember. Well, he went abroad to escape the threats and pressure. The story died down, the scandal was forgotten. But he's still trying to prove what he said was true and I'm helping. We've already got a lot, but not enough."

  "My God, Jan. How deep does it go?"

  "It's deep and its well organised."

  "So who else is involved? Walton Associates? Who else?"

  "One other guy, an ex newspaper man."

  "Only four of you? You don't stand a chance."

  "Yes we do. All we need is some proof to instigate official investigations and a few arrests."

  "You'll never arrest Eischmann."

  "Don't be so sure, but it might be easier to get an arrest warrant for his main accomplice."

  "And who's that?"

  "The guy who runs Freeways."

  "Freeways? But we've used them for years."

  "Exactly. Did anyone ever check them out? Properly?"

  "We did research. We've got the paperwork."

  "Katrine. Listen. Did anyone actually go to Zurich? What do you know about them? Do you know the names of directors, for instance?

  "It's a group of companies."

  "So you, and everyone else, think it's a company like some of the big name international consultants and auditors."

  "It's not my job to deal with that."

  "So who's job is it?"

  Katrine looked uncertain. "I assumed they were once checked as part of due diligence. The pre-qualification process then avoids the necessity to do it every time."

  "Due diligence failed, Kat. The system is cracked and now it's being hacked. What about the suspicions of interference in the money transfer process? Has anything more been said or done about that?"

  "No."

  "Another case of shrug and carry on? Sweep it under the carpet? Don't make a big scene in case the auditors notice? It's not my job. It's not my money. Why should I care? We are all guilty, Kat. You are at fault just as much as anyone else because you won't or you can't act. Why? Is it fear? What is it?"

  Katrine nodded and a long silence followed.

  Then: "We'd better not stay too long, Kat. Someone's watching us."

  "Where? Who?"

  "I don't know, but someone warned me not to see you. I'm under threat, you see, Kat. If I step out of line or don't do as I'm told, I actually fear for my life, just like Jim Smith did."

  "Oh my God, Jan! Who are these people?"

  "Eischmann is one. There are probably many others we don't know about and paid eyes and ears are everywhere. Someone, besides Eischmann, might be sat around that EAWA steering group for all you and I know. But there is that key figure we need to catch - the guy who's organisation creams off millions of Euros and dollars from international aid money and pays bribes to keep people sweet and too afraid to say anything. The guy who runs Freeways is Eischmann's partner."

  "You know who he is?"

  "We know his name. but it might not be his real name."

  "Have you met him?"

  "Yes, twice, once after I was recruited by Eischmann. And they are paying me. That's how serious it is. Money goes into my private account and........" Jan stopped, unsure how much more to say. "There's more, Kat, much more. I can even explain your treasury computer glitch."

  "I had no idea you were so serious when you said you'd go undercover. How will you get out?"

  "That, Kat, is the million Euro question."