Osita Mba is a solicitor at HMRC and earlier this yearhe blew the whistle on secret tax deals that the department were doing with big business.
He testified to two parliamentary committees that the Permanent Secretary for Tax, Dave Hartnett, let Goldman Sachs off £10million in owed tax payments.
Despite speaking out in the public interest and following whistleblowing protocols, Osita is now subject to an internal HMRC investigation and faces possible disciplinary action and even prison for his actions. For telling the truth — he is being threatened with the sack.
Already some key figures, including chair of the Public Accounts committee Margaret Hodge MP, have called on the HMRC to drop the investigation and described it as “completely unacceptable.”
Instead of being protected, Osita Mba has been targeted for his crucial role in uncovering HMRC’s secretive relationship with big corporations and now risks losing his job for standing up and speaking out the truth.
HMRC have shown that they are influenced by public pressure. In November, Dave Hartnett said he had no intention of standing down. But last Friday, following public outrage about the revelations, HMRC announced that Hartnett would be retiring next summer.
Another public outcry can force senior management to drop the investigation into Osita and to protect future whistleblowers. Will you speak out and add your name to Maria’s campaign?