Ep58 - Whistleblowing should not end in punishment

Yesterday, I showed a document that, years after my dismissal, recorded something I had been unable to explain.

According to a statement by a ROYAL FIC executive, a version was circulating in the job market claiming that I had been involved in the fraud and acts of corruption at AGIP do Brasil.

Not the employee who had reported the irregularities.

But someone allegedly involved in them.

I also made clear what I cannot prove:

📌 I have no document showing who created this narrative, who spread it, or how far it circulated.

But I can show what happened afterward.

My executive career practically ended.

And there is a particularly painful contrast.

In 2004, Petrobras acquired assets from AGIP Brasil.

All my former colleagues who remained with the company - those who were not dismissed when Eni acted at its Brazilian subsidiary - were incorporated into Petrobras and were able to continue their careers at Brazil’s state-controlled oil company.

I did not have that opportunity.

And there is an important detail: regular entry into Petrobras requires a public competitive examination.

The acquisition gave those employees an exceptional opportunity for professional continuity.

Had I not been dismissed in 2001, would I have followed the same path?

I cannot prove what did not happen.

But I lost the possibility of having that opportunity.

That is what I consider a “loss of a chance”.

The consequences went further.

Unable to rebuild my executive career, I faced financial and economic difficulties.

Without regular professional income, I also became unable to maintain regular contributions to INSS - Brazil’s public Social Security system.

Decades later, this affected:

🔹 my retirement benefits.

This story, therefore, has never been only about a dismissal in 2001.

It is about what can happen after a professional reports irregularities and his reputation is called into question.

A professional decision can take only minutes.

Its consequences can last for decades.

That is why modern whistleblowing systems should not merely receive reports.

They must protect those who report in good faith against retaliation and professional harm.

After twenty-five years, I continue to ask the Italian oil giant Eni for something at the heart of Corporate Governance best practices:

📌 that the documents be examined together and independently.

My report.

My dismissal.

The subsequent investigations.

The different versions of my dismissal.

The information that, according to a notarized statement, circulated in the job market.

And the consequences.

Only an independent, impartial and transparent review of the entire body of evidence can answer the question that has followed this story since 2001:

🔴 what really happened after I decided to follow the Code of Ethics and report the irregularities?


❎ Learn more:

1️⃣ Memorial 1999–2025

2️⃣ Chronology of Facts for the Reconstruction of Events