Reporting Office

The Reporting Office is part of a whistleblower system that fulfills the requirements of the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, the Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) and other laws, such as the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.

It helps to preserve the integrity of our firm and its employees and to protect us, our business partners and other third parties from damage and loss of reputation. Abuses, unlawful and incorrect behavior must be discovered at an early stage so that they can be remedied. Violations of applicable law and compliance rules are consistently investigated and punished by the law firm.

Employees within the company, as well as business partners and (external) third parties, are often the first to notice irregularities and can use their information to ensure that legal violations are uncovered, investigated, prosecuted and stopped. Whistleblowers therefore assume a great responsibility for the company and also for society and therefore deserve protection from discrimination and reprisals that may threaten and deter them because of their report.

The Reporting Office is also a Complaints Office within the meaning of Section 13 (1) of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). In this function, the Reporting Office receives information and complaints about discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity, as well as about human rights and environmental risks and breaches of duty. In addition, complaints relating to professional law can also be submitted.

The firm ensures that all incoming information is handled responsibly and carefully and guarantees confidential, neutral and objective treatment and careful examination of the necessary measures.

Do you have knowledge of grievances or legal violations at Heuking or even just a suspicion? Then please let our reporting office know. This will protect and support us all. We will treat your data as strictly confidential and you can of course remain anonymous if you wish. We investigate all reports carefully and responsibly.

You can submit your reports via the WhistleFox web form:

Web Form

Alternatively, you can submit your report in person, by phone, letter or e-mail to

Shiye Luo-Forst
Director of Risk & Compliance
Georg-Glock-Straße 4
40474 Düsseldorf
Phone: +49 211 60055-074
E-mail: s.luo-forst(at)heuking.de

Reporting office - your questions, our answers

What can I report?

If you have any indications that Heuking employees or other persons are acting contrary to the interests of our firm or otherwise incorrectly, you should report this. This includes serious compliance violations and criminal offenses such as corruption and fraud, theft and embezzlement, coercion and bullying, but also violations of rules such as discrimination, abuse of power or environmental or human rights-related risks and other breaches of duty. Impending or planned violations may and should also be reported. Even mere suspicions can be reported. Even if these subsequently turn out to be unfounded, whistleblowers do not face any disadvantages. The whistleblower system is not suitable for complaints or for reporting emergencies!

How can I report?

Describe the facts of the case as precisely as possible. Name the organizational unit concerned and the persons involved, the time and place of the incident. Also provide the names of any witnesses. If possible, also send documents such as pictures, e-mails, etc. that support the suspicion. You decide which data you wish to provide, whether you wish to remain anonymous or whether you are available to answer questions from the persons of trust appointed by us. Within seven days of receiving your report, you will receive confirmation that your report has been received (if you have provided contact details). Within a further three months, you will receive feedback on the further handling of your report and the measures taken. Please note that when providing this feedback, we must ensure that any ongoing internal investigations are not jeopardized and that the rights of third parties are not impaired.

How is my data protected?

All personal details will be treated confidentially and you can submit your report anonymously if you wish. The whistleblower system fulfils the relevant legal requirements. All reports are received confidentially by the Reporting Office and processed responsibly. This also applies to all other trusted persons who have access to the content of the reports (see also process description, section 6: Confidentiality). The documentation of your report will be deleted by Heuking no later than three years after completion of the procedure, unless statutory regulations prevent deletion.

Will I be at a disadvantage if I make a report?

As a whistleblower, you are subject to protection under employment law if, at the time of reporting to the Reporting Office, you have sufficient reason to believe that the information you have reported is true. For this protection to apply, the report must concern a matter that is subject to the Whistleblower Protection Act or other relevant laws (e.g. Supply Chain Due Diligence Act), i.e. in particular criminal offenses and serious administrative offenses. The report must also relate to Heuking or another entity with which you as the whistleblower are or were in professional contact. Whistleblowers must not suffer any disadvantages under employment law even if a reported suspicion subsequently turns out to be unfounded.

How can I submit a report?

There are various reporting channels available to you: You can submit your report in person, via the web form, by telephone, by e-mail or by letter. You also have the option of submitting your report to an external Reporting Office. These are the federal government's external reporting office at the Federal Office of Justice, external reporting offices set up by the federal states and the external reporting offices responsible for special cases, for example at the Federal Cartel Office or the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority.

You can also submit your report to EU institutions, bodies, offices or other agencies. These include, for example, the external reporting channels of the Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The contact details can be found on the website of the respective authority. We will be happy to provide you with further information on the external reporting procedures on request.

Who can I contact if I am not sure whether I should use the whistleblower system?

If you have any queries, you can contact the Reporting Office by telephone or e-mail. In case of doubt, however, it makes sense to use the whistleblower system. The Reporting Office and all other trusted persons handle incoming reports responsibly and prudently and process them on the basis of a wealth of experience.

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